JEDDAH, 4 February 2008 — The Court of Grievances postponed the hearing regarding a complaint by the father of a 16-year-old boy who was executed last year after the representative of the plaintiff in the case — the Department of Public Security, which is under the Interior Ministry — failed to show up for the hearing yesterday. The next hearing has been scheduled for April 6.

“The Public Security representative did not attend nor did he file an excuse,” said Abdullah Al-Zmami, an attorney from Al-Zmami Law Firm, who is representing Hussein Al-Hakami, the boy’s father. “They know they are guilty, that’s why they didn’t appear.” The father said he is pessimistic about them appearing, saying that they are looking “for a way out of it.”

According to Saudi law, if a representative of the accused fails to appear during the next session and doesn’t present a legal excuse accepted by the head judge in the trial then the court would continue with the hearing and issue a verdict, said Al-Zmami. The father is suing the Department of Public Security for SR10 million and calling for the execution of those directly responsible for the execution of the boy, Mueed.

Al-Hakami says that his son was interrogated, convicted and beheaded without the presence of an attorney or family member. Mueed was arrested on July 12, 2004, at the age of 13 in connection with the death of a young boy in the southern city of Jizan. While his son was still alive, Hakami filed five complaints against the conduct of local authorities, two of which were submitted to the Interior Ministry and one was directed to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, requesting that his son’s life be spared until national authorities could review the conduct of local authorities in this case. However, his cries for an investigation prior to his son’s beheading were in vain. The father also said that local authorities detained him on three occasions, first for ten days and twice for a month each, for allegedly making false accusations in his complaints. These charges were later dropped.

The suit against the Department of Public Security also states that the family was denied any information on the date their son was to be executed, and they were prevented from visiting their son prior to his beheading.