When President Obama spoke about the Arab Spring on May 19, 2011, he endorsed the pro-Democracy movement claiming that “we need to speak honestly about the principles that we believe in, with friend and foe alike.”
Apparently, that doesn’t include our “ally” Saudi Arabia.
U.S. Uncut reported that the United Nations, the U.K.’s foreign secretary, and French President Francois Hollande have called Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to halt the execution of 21-year old pro-democracy protestor, Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, who was arrested as a teenager.
The teenager was inspired by the same Arab Spring that President Obama praised; he participated in some pro-democracy protests.
On Feb. 12, al-Nimr was riding his bicycle when police officers smashed into him with their car, causing several broken bones. He was later detained without an arrest warrant, according to The Washington Post.
Initially he was released, but after it was discovered he was related to the anti-government cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, the government pressed charges against the teenager.
Ali Mohammed al-Nimr has now been in prison for three years, and has been sentenced to death by crucifixion and then beheading–in case they don’t sufficiently kill him the first time.
Adding irony is the fact that the Saudis sit on the United Nation’s Human Rights Council.
Just several weeks ago President Obama met with King Salman, but did not mention the al-Nimr’s fate. To date no high-ranking member of the president’s administration has said anything about the case.
It’s sad that the president would fan the flames of revolution but stand by as teenagers are executed for their involvement in a movement he endorsed.
