The Saudi judiciary has ruled to behead Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayyad by sword due to ideological differences

The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights(ESOHR) expresses deep concern over the continuation of the Saudi judiciary to issue death sentences based on charges of freedom of opinion and expression. In a new provision, Abha court sentenced Palestinian poet and artist Ashraf Abdel Satar Fayyad to death on 17^thNovember 2015.

Fayyad, was born in Saudi Arabia (15^th July 1980) and lives in an area between the cities of Jeddah and Abha. He is well know for his have artistic activities and held a variety of posts within Saudi Arabia, as well as being a member of the organization ‘Edge of Arabia’. On the 6^thAugust 2013 a complaint was submitted against him to the ‘Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice’ (religious police) in Abha. The charges against Fayyad included spreading atheism and infidelity, spreading doubts and blaspheming ‘The divine self’, mocking Prophet Muhammad, insulting the Saudi state and publishing a book entitled ‘Instructions within’. Based on these accusations, the authorities arrested him on the same day, after which he was released on bail the next day (7^th August 2013) by the commission whilst they completed their investigation.

The Commission began its investigation via a Publishing house in Assir where it made enquiries about his book and found that it had been banned from trading. They also monitoredhis twitter account and criminalizedsome of his tweets. Furthermore, Dar Al-Fatwa found that his book contained blasphemous statements in reference to ‘the divine self’ and mocked religious texts.

On the 1^st January 2014 ‘the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice’ police rearrested him based on an arrest warrant issued by the Investigation and Prosecution Authority, where he was held at Abha police station. Almost a month later, on the 28^th January 2014, he was transferred to the general prison in Abha.

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