The mother of a Saudi dissident teen sentenced to be decapitated and crucified pleaded for the White House to intervene in his case.
Nusra al-Ahmed, the mother of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, made the appeal to President Obama in an interview published Wednesday by The Guardian.
“He is the head of this world and he can, he can interfere and rescue my son” she said.
Al-Nimr, who was 17 when he was arrested, was charged with attending a protest, using his phone to foment more protest, and possession of a firearm. The last accusation has been strenuously denied by the family.
Al-Nimr’s case has received considerable attention in Britain. Prime Minister David Cameron and the opposition leader, newly-elected Labour Party head Jeremy Corbyn, have both called on the Saudis to spare Al-Nimr’s life. Saudi diplomats in Britain replied that the kingdom does not accept “any form of interference in its internal affairs.”
Saudi Arabia is a close US ally. The two countries are cooperating in the ongoing wars in Yemen and Syria.
When the late King Abdullah died in January, President Obama said that the relationship between the United States and the fundamentalist kingdom is “a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond.”
“The closeness and strength of the partnership between our two countries is part of King Abdullah’s legacy,” he said.
This week, Riyadh deepened its ties with the West. On Tuesday, it was announced that Saudi Arabia and France signed multibillion dollar economic and security agreements.
Read Nusra Al-Ahmed’s interview with The Guardian here.
