Saudi Arabia's highest court has revoked the death sentence against Montrealer Mohamed Kohail, arrested after a fatal 2007 brawl, a spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Saturday.
Kohail, 24, was facing a public beheading for the death of Munzer Haraki, 19, who died after a schoolyard fight in Jeddah. But the country's Supreme Council has ordered a new trial.
"This is good news," said Cannon spokeswoman Catherine Loubier.
But she said nothing has been resolved yet in the case of Kohail's younger brother Sultan, whose case has been bumped up from juvenile court to adult court and a possible death penalty.
"This case continues to be a priority for the government," Loubier said.
Mohamed Kohail and a Jordanian friend were both sentenced to death in March 2008, for their involvement in the brawl, which apparently started over an insult to a girl.
The brothers have repeatedly said they were acting in self-defence and were not involved in inflicting the fatal injuries during the fight, which involved dozens of teenagers.
The Kohail family and the opposition Liberals have frequently criticized the Canadian government for not doing enough to intervene in the case.
However, during a visit last year to Saudi Arabia, Cannon met with the father of the man who died in the fight and raised the case at a senior level in the Saudi government.
Source: The Canadian Press, January 9, 2010
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