SAUDI ARABIA
Edison Gonzales (m), aged 46
Rolando Manaloto Gonzales (m), aged 48
Eduardo Arcilla (m), aged 46
Victoriano Alfonso (m), aged 48] Filipino nationals
Efren Francisco Dimaun (m), aged 49
Omar Basillo (m), aged 42
Joel Sinamban (m), aged 40
Edison Gonzales, Rolando Manaloto Gonzales and Eduardo Arcilla have been sentenced to death, and Victoriano Alfonso, Efren Francisco Dimaun, Omar Basillo and Joel Sinamban have been sentenced to imprisonment and flogging, in the same case and after an unfair trial. The seven, all Filipino nationals, are appealing against their sentences.
If their appeals are rejected, and the King confirms the death sentences, three of the men could face imminent execution and the four others could be flogged within weeks.
All seven men were tried by a General Court in Jeddah for the murders of three other Filipino nationals, Romeo Lumbang, Jeremias Bucud and Dante Rivero, and were sentenced by the same court in July 2007. Eduardo Arcilla and brothers Edison Gonzales and Rolando Manaloto Gonzales were sentenced to death. Victoriano Alfonso, Efren Francisco Dimaun, Omar Basillo, and Joel Sinamban were sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment and one thousand lashes each.
The seven men, all migrant workers, were arrested in April 2006. They were held incommunicado and were not given access to lawyers until April 2008 in order to help submit their appeals. They were also said to have been tortured during interrogation, including being beaten on the soles of their feet, in order to force them to confess to the murders. They are held at Briman Prison in Jeddah.
If the flogging sentences are upheld, they will be administered in sets of 50, with intervals of at least two weeks between sets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offenses, including offenses with no lethal consequences, and it is imposed following trials which invariably fail to meet the most basic international standards of trial fairness. Court hearings are often held in secret and defendants are scarcely permitted formal representation by a lawyer. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress, torture or deception. In many cases defendants and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. Prisoners under sentence of death may not be informed of the date of execution until the morning when they are taken out and beheaded.
At least 66 people have been executed so far this year, almost half of whom have been foreign nationals. Foreign workers, notably those from poorer countries, are particularly at risk of unfair criminal proceedings, because they have no relatives to turn to for help, and because non-Arabic speakers may also be forced to sign confessions without the provision of adequate interpretation to help them understand what they are signing.
Take action now!
Source: Amnesty International
Edison Gonzales (m), aged 46
Rolando Manaloto Gonzales (m), aged 48
Eduardo Arcilla (m), aged 46
Victoriano Alfonso (m), aged 48] Filipino nationals
Efren Francisco Dimaun (m), aged 49
Omar Basillo (m), aged 42
Joel Sinamban (m), aged 40
Edison Gonzales, Rolando Manaloto Gonzales and Eduardo Arcilla have been sentenced to death, and Victoriano Alfonso, Efren Francisco Dimaun, Omar Basillo and Joel Sinamban have been sentenced to imprisonment and flogging, in the same case and after an unfair trial. The seven, all Filipino nationals, are appealing against their sentences.
If their appeals are rejected, and the King confirms the death sentences, three of the men could face imminent execution and the four others could be flogged within weeks.
All seven men were tried by a General Court in Jeddah for the murders of three other Filipino nationals, Romeo Lumbang, Jeremias Bucud and Dante Rivero, and were sentenced by the same court in July 2007. Eduardo Arcilla and brothers Edison Gonzales and Rolando Manaloto Gonzales were sentenced to death. Victoriano Alfonso, Efren Francisco Dimaun, Omar Basillo, and Joel Sinamban were sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment and one thousand lashes each.
The seven men, all migrant workers, were arrested in April 2006. They were held incommunicado and were not given access to lawyers until April 2008 in order to help submit their appeals. They were also said to have been tortured during interrogation, including being beaten on the soles of their feet, in order to force them to confess to the murders. They are held at Briman Prison in Jeddah.
If the flogging sentences are upheld, they will be administered in sets of 50, with intervals of at least two weeks between sets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offenses, including offenses with no lethal consequences, and it is imposed following trials which invariably fail to meet the most basic international standards of trial fairness. Court hearings are often held in secret and defendants are scarcely permitted formal representation by a lawyer. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress, torture or deception. In many cases defendants and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. Prisoners under sentence of death may not be informed of the date of execution until the morning when they are taken out and beheaded.
At least 66 people have been executed so far this year, almost half of whom have been foreign nationals. Foreign workers, notably those from poorer countries, are particularly at risk of unfair criminal proceedings, because they have no relatives to turn to for help, and because non-Arabic speakers may also be forced to sign confessions without the provision of adequate interpretation to help them understand what they are signing.
Take action now!
Source: Amnesty International
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