RABAT (Dispatches) – A Moroccan court has ruled to extradite a Saudi Shia Muslim man from a family of activists to the Arab kingdom notwithstanding fears that he could face torture and unfair trial there.
Hassan al-Rabea, held in a prison near Rabat since January 14, was arrested at the behest of Saudi authorities at Marrakech Airport as the 26-year-old was leaving the Moroccan capital for Ankara.
The Rabat Court of Cassation “unfortunately responded favorably to the request for the extradition of Hassan al-Rabea,” his lawyer Mohamed Sebbar was quoted as saying by AFP. “No appeal is possible.”
The decision will be sent to the Moroccan justice minister, followed by the prime minister, who is likely to sign a decree ordering his extradition.
Rabea’s brother Ahmed, based in Canada, said there was “no proof” against his sibling and accused Riyadh of “buying” a favorable ruling in the Moroccan courts.
“Hassan will be handed over to a criminal country that will cut off his head,” he said.
The Saudi regime accused Hassan in a November arrest warrant of “leaving Saudi Arabia illegally with the help of a terrorist”. Riyadh frequently accuses anti-government activists of links to “terrorism”.
Ahmed said Saudi authorities were targeting his brother in order to exert pressure to find their third brother, Munir, who is an activist.
Since Mohammed bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto leader in 2017, the kingdom has arrested a number of activists, journalists, and academics perceived as political opponents, showing zero tolerance for dissent even in the face of global outcry.
A new report says the rate of executions in Saudi Arabia since King Salman and his son Mohammed bin Salman came to power in 2015 has almost doubled annually, highlighting flagrant human rights violations in the Arab country.
According to a new report by Reprieve and the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR), at least 1,243 people were executed between 2010 and 2021, and the figure stood at 147 last year.
The report revealed that the six bloodiest years of executions in Saudi Arabia’s recent history (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022) have all occurred under the leadership of Mohammed bin Salman as the country’s crown prince and de facto ruler and his father.
It highlighted that there was an average of 129.5 executions per year within the time span of 2015-2022, marking an increase of 82%.