Ali al-Nimr: Fears grow Saudi Arabia may execute man for crimes he committed as a juvenile

Fears are growing that a man on death row in Saudi Arabia may be imminently executed for crimes he committed while still a teenager.

Concerns have been raised for Ali al-Nimr, who was sentenced to death in 2012 after he was found guilty of anti-government activity at the age of 17.

He claims he was tortured into making his confession and was charged alongside two other juveniles with throwing explosives at police, “buying and distributing water for protestors” and “explaining how to give first aid to protestors”.

He denies taking part in any violent activity. He was sentenced to death, despite international human rights legislation which stipulates that people should not receive the death penalty for crimes committed before they turn 18.

Concerns have been raised as Mr al-Nimr’s name and case have been cited on a Twitter account under the handle ‘@KSA24' which has 2.5 million followers and has been linked to the Saudi government. In previous cases, such action has indicated an individual was about to be executed.

The Saudi government does not announce executions publicly, prompting speculation that the Twitter account may be run by a government employee or someone else with insider knowledge on the cases.

The account has previously accurately identified the death of Mr al-Nimr’s uncle, Sheikh Nimr, who was executed after also being convicted of crimes against the state. It said that Sheikh Nimr's family were spending their last days with him, shortly before his execution was revealed.

Ali Adubisi, director of the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights in Berlin, told International Business Times: “The account @KSA24 has shown renewed interest in young protester Ali Al-Nimr case, based on past accuracy of tweets from this account regarding Sheikh Nimr, this is a worrying signal.”

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office told The Independent they are aware of Mr al-Nimr’s case and are advocating with the Saudi government on his behalf. They said: “The government’s position is clear, and understood by Saudi Arabia: we oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and in all countries.

“We regularly raise the case of Ali al-Nimr, and the two others who were juveniles when they committed the crimes of which they have been convicted, including during the former Foreign Secretary’s most recent visit to Saudi Arabia.

"We expect that they will not be executed. Nevertheless, we continue to raise these cases with the Saudi authorities.”

Saudi Arabia has executed 108 people thus far in 2016. These include 47 people who were convicted of murder, 13 who were drug smugglers and one who was convicted of rape, according to Human Rights Watch.

Last year, the country executed 158 people for various criminal offences and concerns have been raised that the total number of people executed this year could exceed this.