Dawoud al-Marhoon


Dawoud Al Marhoon is a Saudi Arabian who as a teenager participated in the Saudi Arabian protests during the Arab Spring. He was arrested on May 22, 2012, sentenced to death in September 2015, and as of 2015, awaited ratification of his sentence by King Abdullah, to be carried out by beheading and crucifixion. Executions are usually carried out by public beheading, although prisoners have been shot by firing squad.

Early life

Dawoud Al Marhoon was born in Al Awamiya, Saudi Arabia. He attended Alttarfih Al-ssahil high school. He has a mother and a younger sister; his father died when he was young. As a teenager, Dawood was sociable and popular. He loved playing football and computer games. He excelled in his studies, and dreamed of pursuing his love for technology and computers by studying a degree in engineering.

Arab Spring activities

Al Marhoon participated in the 2011–12 Saudi Arabian protests during the Arab Spring. Originally, in March 2012, he was questioned by Saudi police and asked to be an informant and report details about his fellow protesters. After he refused, Saudi security forces arrested him from the Dammam Central Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for an eye injury sustained in a traffic accident. Saudi forces surrounded the hospital and arrested him as he prepared for surgery.

Arrest

During his arrest, al-Marhoon was allegedly forced to sign a confession, which was later relied upon to convict him. According to Reprieve, he was arrested without a warrant and tortured.

Legal conditions

Legal conditions of Dawoud Al Marhoon's case included refusal by authorities of regular access to his lawyer.