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Montrealer sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia
Updated Tue. Mar. 4 2008 7:08 AM ET
The Canadian Press
MONTREAL -- Friends of a Canadian jailed in Saudi Arabia on murder charges lashed out at Saudi justice and demanded help from the Canadian government Monday upon learning that he was convicted and sentenced to a public beheading.
Mahmoud Al-Ken, a reporter for a Montreal Arabic radio station, says the family of Mohamed Kohail told him Monday that Kohail was found guilty of murder.
He says Kohail is to be beheaded in public but has 80 days to appeal the ruling.
Kohail "got nine court sessions, each court session lasted 10 minutes,'' Al-Ken said.
A spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Department in Ottawa confirmed Monday night that Kohail had been convicted and faces the death penalty.
"We are deeply disappointed at the verdict handed down by Saudi authorities,'' said Bernard Nguyen, a Foreign Affairs spokesman.
Nguyen said Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier and Secretary of State Helena Guergis had been briefed on the situation and are following it closely.
"We are in close contact with the family and continue to provide consular services,'' Nguyen said. "The family continues to explore other legal avenues including an appeal of this verdict.'' He would not elaborate further, citing the family's privacy.
A close friend of the family called on the Canadian government to take further steps to help Kohail.
"I want the government here to ask on what basis the Saudi government decided this was first-degree murder,'' Mayada Jabri told Info690, a Montreal radio station.
"It was the influence of the other family which got a verdict that was not fair. I only want justice.''
A family friend who spoke with Kohail's parents shortly after the verdict was handed down says they are livid at the Saudi justice system.
"They don't believe by any means they got a fair trial,'' he told The Canadian Press.
The friend, who lives in Montreal and asked that his name not be used, claimed the court ignored evidence that would have cleared Kohail.
He also said Kohail's lawyers were repeatedly denied access to the courtroom.
Kohail was allegedly involved in a schoolyard brawl that left one person dead.
He was arrested along with his brother, Sultan, last spring and imprisoned in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The younger brother's fate remains unclear.
Dan McTeague, the Liberal critic for consular services, said he hopes the federal government acts swiftly to secure Kohail's release.
Ottawa must also investigate allegations that confessions were obtained under duress, McTeague said.
But he said the government is in an awkward position after a recent decision not to seek clemency in a death penalty case in the United States.
"It has already precluded the standard request for clemency to only request clemency in those cases where it disagrees with the judicial or legal system of another country,'' he said.
"They are starting off from a position that is potentially difficult, not to mention potentially insulting.''
Those who knew Kohail are shocked that diplomatic efforts to lessen the charges failed.
"We originally felt he would not face the death penalty,'' said Barry Gaiptman, a guidance counsellor at Kohail's former school in Montreal who has been circulating a petition calling for his release.
Gaiptman believes Kohail received a rough shake from the Saudi justice system.
"He's a young boy who is certainly not involved in anything more than schoolyard brawl,'' he said.
The family spent several years in Montreal before recently returning to Saudi Arabia.
The two boys were involved in a fight that broke out after a girl's male cousin accused Sultan of insulting her.
The brother demanded an apology, but Sultan refused.
Sultan, then 16, said he called for help from Mohamed when he was confronted by several boys over the insult.
According to the account of the Kohail brothers, Mohamed Kohail arrived at the school with a male friend to face about a dozen of the girl's male relatives and friends. Some were armed with clubs and knives.
One of the attackers was punched, fell to the ground and died.
He has been identified as Munzer Haraki, a cousin of the girl who was supposedly insulted.
Ali Kohail, the brothers' father, has said the family had only temporarily relocated to Saudi Arabia to attend a relative's wedding -- an Arab tradition says three ceremonies must be held.
They always intended to return to Canada, where they still own a home in Montreal.
A Foreign Affairs official has said the department was offering assistance to the Canadians who spent several months in jail before Monday's verdict.
(Mods I never found another article on the same subject, move if needed)
Montrealer sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia
Updated Tue. Mar. 4 2008 7:08 AM ET
The Canadian Press
MONTREAL -- Friends of a Canadian jailed in Saudi Arabia on murder charges lashed out at Saudi justice and demanded help from the Canadian government Monday upon learning that he was convicted and sentenced to a public beheading.
Mahmoud Al-Ken, a reporter for a Montreal Arabic radio station, says the family of Mohamed Kohail told him Monday that Kohail was found guilty of murder.
He says Kohail is to be beheaded in public but has 80 days to appeal the ruling.
Kohail "got nine court sessions, each court session lasted 10 minutes,'' Al-Ken said.
A spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Department in Ottawa confirmed Monday night that Kohail had been convicted and faces the death penalty.
"We are deeply disappointed at the verdict handed down by Saudi authorities,'' said Bernard Nguyen, a Foreign Affairs spokesman.
Nguyen said Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier and Secretary of State Helena Guergis had been briefed on the situation and are following it closely.
"We are in close contact with the family and continue to provide consular services,'' Nguyen said. "The family continues to explore other legal avenues including an appeal of this verdict.'' He would not elaborate further, citing the family's privacy.
A close friend of the family called on the Canadian government to take further steps to help Kohail.
"I want the government here to ask on what basis the Saudi government decided this was first-degree murder,'' Mayada Jabri told Info690, a Montreal radio station.
"It was the influence of the other family which got a verdict that was not fair. I only want justice.''
A family friend who spoke with Kohail's parents shortly after the verdict was handed down says they are livid at the Saudi justice system.
"They don't believe by any means they got a fair trial,'' he told The Canadian Press.
The friend, who lives in Montreal and asked that his name not be used, claimed the court ignored evidence that would have cleared Kohail.
He also said Kohail's lawyers were repeatedly denied access to the courtroom.
Kohail was allegedly involved in a schoolyard brawl that left one person dead.
He was arrested along with his brother, Sultan, last spring and imprisoned in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The younger brother's fate remains unclear.
Dan McTeague, the Liberal critic for consular services, said he hopes the federal government acts swiftly to secure Kohail's release.
Ottawa must also investigate allegations that confessions were obtained under duress, McTeague said.
But he said the government is in an awkward position after a recent decision not to seek clemency in a death penalty case in the United States.
"It has already precluded the standard request for clemency to only request clemency in those cases where it disagrees with the judicial or legal system of another country,'' he said.
"They are starting off from a position that is potentially difficult, not to mention potentially insulting.''
Those who knew Kohail are shocked that diplomatic efforts to lessen the charges failed.
"We originally felt he would not face the death penalty,'' said Barry Gaiptman, a guidance counsellor at Kohail's former school in Montreal who has been circulating a petition calling for his release.
Gaiptman believes Kohail received a rough shake from the Saudi justice system.
"He's a young boy who is certainly not involved in anything more than schoolyard brawl,'' he said.
The family spent several years in Montreal before recently returning to Saudi Arabia.
The two boys were involved in a fight that broke out after a girl's male cousin accused Sultan of insulting her.
The brother demanded an apology, but Sultan refused.
Sultan, then 16, said he called for help from Mohamed when he was confronted by several boys over the insult.
According to the account of the Kohail brothers, Mohamed Kohail arrived at the school with a male friend to face about a dozen of the girl's male relatives and friends. Some were armed with clubs and knives.
One of the attackers was punched, fell to the ground and died.
He has been identified as Munzer Haraki, a cousin of the girl who was supposedly insulted.
Ali Kohail, the brothers' father, has said the family had only temporarily relocated to Saudi Arabia to attend a relative's wedding -- an Arab tradition says three ceremonies must be held.
They always intended to return to Canada, where they still own a home in Montreal.
A Foreign Affairs official has said the department was offering assistance to the Canadians who spent several months in jail before Monday's verdict.
(Mods I never found another article on the same subject, move if needed)