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U.S. | 'I comfort death row inmates in their final moments - the execution room is like a house of horrors'

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Reverend Jeff Hood, 40, wants to help condemned inmates 'feel human again' and vows to continue his efforts to befriend murderers in spite of death threats against his family A reverend who has made it his mission to comfort death row inmates in their final days has revealed the '"moral torture" his endeavor entails. Reverend Dr. Jeff Hood, 40, lives with his wife and five children in Little Rock, Arkansas. But away from his normal home life, he can suddenly find himself holding the shoulder of a murderer inside an execution chamber, moments away from the end of their life. 

AI: Surge in Executions in Saudi Arabia

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Eight men on death row have been executed in Saudi Arabia since 5 September, representing a dramatic increase in the number of executions. It is feared that more executions could be carried out at any time.

Since the end of the Holy month of Ramadan, executions have resumed in Saudi Arabia at an alarming rate. The authorities have announced the execution of eight inmates, including three foreign nationals, since 5 September.

Amnesty international has the names of more than 100 prisoners, most of them foreign nationals, who are currently on death row in Saudi Arabia for alleged drugs-related offenses. Most are said to have been sentenced to death in trials that failed to meet international standards for fair trial; some apparently were not assisted by a defense lawyer or other legal assistance.

Death sentences imposed for drugs-related offenses do not fall into the category of "most serious crimes" embodied in international standards such as the UN Safeguards. These guarantee the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, and require that the scope of crimes punishable by death "should not go beyond intentional crimes with lethal or other extremely grave consequences."

Karim Ruslan al-Ruslan, a Syrian national, was executed on 14 September for alleged drugs-related offenses in al-Jawf. This was the first known execution in Saudi Arabia for drugs-related offenses since 24 January 2010, prompting fears that other death row prisoners sentenced for drugs-related offenses are also at imminent risk of execution.

Please write immediately in English, Arabic or your own language:
-Expressing concern at the surge in executions in recent weeks;
-Urging the King to impose an immediate moratorium on executions as a first step towards the abolition of the death penalty, and to commute all existing death sentences;
-Reminding the authorities that, pending full abolition, they should act in accordance with international minimum standards and limit the use of the death penalty to "most serious crimes", which do not include drugs-related offenses, and should abide fully with the UN Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, which state that capital punishment may only be imposed after a fair trial in which the defendant is provided with "adequate legal assistance at all stages of the proceedings".

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 9 NOVEMBER 2011 TO:

King
His Majesty King 'Abdullah Bin 'Abdul 'Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior)
011 966 1 403 3125 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Majesty

Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin 'Abdul 'Aziz Al-Saud
Ministry of the Interior
P.O. Box 2933, Airport Road
Riyadh 11134
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Fax: 011 966 1 403 3125 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness

And copies to:
President, Human Rights Commission
Bandar Mohammed 'Abdullah al-Aiban
Human Rights Commission
P.O. Box 58889, King Fahad Road
Building No. 373, Riyadh 11515
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 1 202 944 5983


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

In Saudi Arabia there have been disturbing patterns of discrimination against vulnerable individuals. Many of those executed over the past years were foreign nationals, mostly migrant workers from poor and developing countries. Despite a decrease in executions in the last few years, there has been a marked increase in executions this year, with 15 people put to death in May alone. So far this year, at least 45 people have been executed, more than the number executed in the whole of 2010. Amnesty International is seriously concerned about over 100 prisoners who are currently known to be under sentence of death in Saudi Arabia.

At least 158 people were executed by the Saudi Arabian authorities in 2007, and at least 102 people in 2008. In 2009, at least 69 people are known to have been executed.

Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offenses. Court proceedings fall far short of international standards for fair trial. Defendants are rarely allowed formal representation by lawyers, and in many cases are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. They may be convicted solely on the basis of "confessions" obtained under duress or deception.

In a report published in 2008 on the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International highlighted the extensive use of the death penalty as well as the disproportionately high number of executions of foreign nationals from developing countries. For further information please see Saudi Arabia: Affront to Justice: Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia (Index: MDE 23/027/2008), 14 October 2008: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/saudi-arabia-executions-target-foreign-nationals-20081014.

Source: Amnesty International, Sept. 28, 2011
Location: Saudi Arabia
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