The sister of a person sentenced to dying in Saudi Arabia is asking seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton to assist save her brother’s life.
Zainab Abu al-Kheer informed the Associated Press in a phone interview that Hamilton’s announcement two weeks in the past in Qatar that F1 is “obligated” to lift consciousness of human rights made him really feel that he would save his brother Hussein Abu al-Kheer. might be able to. -Kheer. Auto racing pivots into headlines in Saudi Arabia on Sunday when the dominion is internet hosting an F1 competitors for the primary time.
“Dear Lewis, I am writing to you in the hope that my brother’s life may be saved,” Abu al-Kheer wrote to Hamilton from his house in Canada final week, in a observe completely shared with the AP. within the letter. “When you’re in Saudi Arabia, just saying his name might be enough.”
Asked in regards to the letter throughout his pre-race information convention on Thursday, Hamilton stated, “I’m not really sure what letter you’re referring to, so I can’t really comment on that. “
Saudi Arabia, one of many world’s most prolific executioners, will dramatically cut back the variety of folks sentenced to dying in 2020, following modifications that bar executions for nonviolent drug-related crimes, based on a authorities tally and unbiased observers I’ve come
With his youthful brother jailed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, some 6,000 miles (about 9,700 kilometers) away, Abu al-Kheer stated he hoped Hamilton might construct ties to the highly effective Saudis.
“Something a celebrity like Hamilton can do is talk to the prince (Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman), the interior minister or even King Salman,” stated Abu al-Kheer from his house close to Ottawa. stated. “People like Hamilton get the attention of governments everywhere.”
In his letter to Hamilton shared completely with the AP by authorized motion NGO Repriv, Abu al-Kheer says his brother, Jordan, 56, was sentenced to dying 5 years in the past on drug-related prices Was.
She says the husband and father of eight kids had been unintentionally used as a drug mule and, when arrested, had been horribly tortured. On his means from Jordan to Saudi Arabia to work as a driver, customs officers searched his automotive someday.
“For 12 days, my brother told the authorities the truth: that he knew nothing about bullets,” Abu al-Kheer wrote in his letter. “They hung her the wrong way up from the ceiling, and beat her on each a part of her physique. The torture was so extreme that even a yr later we might see the scars. Eventually, he falsely admitted to smuggling medication. ,
Amnesty International has ranked Saudi Arabia third on this planet for the very best variety of executions in 2019.
According to Repriv, King Salman and the highly effective Crown Prince have executed 392 folks for nonviolent crimes in six years.
There was a major drop in 2020 in comparison with an all-time excessive of 184 executions a yr in the past. The drop resulted in a moratorium on the dying penalty for drug-related offenses.
But Abu al-Kheer informed the AP he’s anxious his brother might nonetheless face the gallows.
“He stated that they’ve stopped beheading (since) for nearly a yr. But there isn’t a one who is aware of what they’re doing (contained in the jail).”
Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been accused of “game-washing” their human rights information by utilizing high-profile sporting occasions to venture a good picture.
Qatar will host the World Cup subsequent yr. Two years in the past, boxer Anthony Joshua left Saudi Arabia with a web value of round $70 million after a victory in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has come beneath scrutiny after it purchased English Premier League membership Newcastle in October.
Human Rights Watch launched a marketing campaign late final yr that it says has been an try by the Saudi authorities to spend billions of {dollars} internet hosting main occasions, “image of the country as a pervasive human rights violator”. A deliberate tactic to divert consideration from.”
Heba Morayeff, Amnesty International’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, stated glamorous occasions mustn’t detract from human rights.
“Saudi Arabian authorities have invested heavily in PR stunts to re-brand their image,” Morayef stated in a information launch on Thursday. “The authorities in Saudi Arabia need to realize that the best PR comes from respecting human rights.”
The AP despatched an electronic mail to authorities officers searching for clarification on the dying penalty and human rights.
Meanwhile, Abu al-Kheer additionally wrote to King Salman.
“I did everything I could to help my brother, save his life,” she informed the AP. “I always give him hope to see his kids and wife.”
Hamilton has been a loud voice for human rights.
In July, he and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel spoke out in opposition to the Hungarian authorities’s deliberate LGBT regulation referendum.
Hamilton put a rainbow on his Mercedes helmet in Qatar for the LGBTQ+ neighborhood. Two years in the past, singer Nicki Minaj pulled out of a live performance in Saudi Arabia to assist girls’s rights and homosexual rights.
In Saudi Arabia, gay relationships are thought of a criminal offense and can lead to flogging or the dying penalty. Discrimination and harassment are widespread however people are uncommon to be prosecuted.
Hamilton addressed the problem at his press convention on Thursday
“If everyone wants to take the time to read what the law is for the LGBTQ+ community, that’s terrible,” Hamilton stated.
“Do I feel comfortable (racing) here? I would say I do. But it is not my choice to be here, the sport has chosen to be here,” stated Hamilton. “A variety of modifications must occur and I feel our sport must do extra.”
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
