United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Saudi Arabia Must Review the Conviction of the disabled demonstrator Munir Adam

20 October 2018: during its 20th Session in September 2018, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons

with Disabilities reached a Decision in Munir’s case, holding that Saudi Arabia has failed to fulfil its Treaty

obligations under Articles 4, 13(1), 15, 16, and 25 of the Convention. In its conclusion, the CRPD notes that

Saudi Arabia is under an obligation to investigate Munir’s torture and to compensate him for the loss of

hearing in his right ear. The Committee also stated that Saudi Arabia is obligated to “review his conviction

with the guarantees enshrined in the Convention, including through the exclusion of the evidence obtained

under torture; the permanent suspension of solitary confinement; the full access to his representatives; the

provision of adapted procedural accommodations to ensure that the author can effectively take part to the

procedure; and the access to health services needed by the author.” The Committee also noted Saudi

Arabia’s obligations to prevent similar acts in the future, by prohibiting torture in the justice system,

investigating allegations of torture, ensuring medical access in detention, and consider abolition of the death

penalty.

Munir Adam is a Saudi citizen who was arrested in 2012 and tortured. Security forces beat him so severely

during this torture that he permanently lost hearing in one ear. After pre-trial detention of more than three

years, during which he was denied access to legal counsel, Munir was convicted and sentenced to death in

the Specialized Criminal Court – the court system used to prosecute crimes of state security – using

statements and confessions that had been coerced through torture. Among the charges against him were

participating in “violent acts” at a protest in 2012 and “sending texts”. His death sentence was upheld on

appeal in May 2017, and confirmed by the High Court on 23 July 2017. As such, he has exhausted all

domestic remedies, and is at imminent risk of execution.

(Source: https://www.esohr.org/en/?p=1965)