JEDDAH, 27 October 2005 — The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has filed a memo with Saudi officials concerning the 15-year-old Egyptian boy sentenced to death for killing a three-year-old Egyptian girl, Wala Adel Abdul Badie, in Dammam last year.

According to media reports, HRW objects to the sentence because Ahmed Abdul Munji was a minor when he committed the crime and therefore should not receive the death penalty.

HRW points out that according to international law and an international human rights document — to which Saudi Arabia is a signatory — a minor is below 18 years old. The memo also objects to not providing the boy with legal representation during his interrogation and subsequent confession. The memo asks top Saudi officials to intervene and reduce the sentence to imprisonment at the correctional facility in Dammam where Ahmed is now awaiting execution.

Dr. Mufleh Al-Qahtani, head of the investigation and follow-up committee at the National Society for Human Rights, said that they had not received a copy of the memo and were not aware of its existence. However, he said that the boy would not be executed until he reaches 18. In the meantime, the boy will remain in jail and the girl’s parents may pardon him if they wish.

“This is a judicial matter and we cannot intervene to reduce the sentence. It is up to the girl’s parents to pardon him; this is their private right and they must decide,” said Dr. Al-Qahtani. He explained that there was a public right and a private right in every court case. The court implemented the public right by imprisoning the boy. “There is no misapplication of the law because we have to protect the rights of the victim’s family too,” he said.

Dr. Al-Qahtani said that according to Islamic law the legal age of a boy — the age when he is held responsible for his actions — is determined by both physical and mental signs though the age is generally considered to be 15. The signs are, however, different from one boy to another.

“There are several factors to be taken into consideration in determining the legal age of boys and girls, and this is one of the issues we propose to study,” he said.

As for Ahmed’s not having legal representation, Dr. Al-Qahtani said that the system allowed access to a lawyer if the person requests one but the lawyer’s presence is not mandatory. “There is no rule requiring the presence of a lawyer. We are proposing that if a person cannot afford a lawyer, one be provided for them,” said Dr. Al-Qahtani.

Dammam police arrested Ahmed in May last year and charged him with murdering the girl. Her body was found with multiple stab wounds in King Abdul Aziz Park on May 7, 2004.

The boy, who was taken to the police station for questioning, confessed to the crime. During the interrogation, he said he killed the child because her father, a very strict man, had hit him. He said he was also angry because he thought Wala had stolen his toys.

Ahmed has now expressed his regret for what he did and is said to be tormented by it. Efforts continue to convince the girl’s parents to pardon their daughter’s killer. Some individuals have offered large sums of money to the parents but they insist on seeing the killer executed.

The Egyptian Embassy has refused to comment on the case saying only that they are following the matter which is very sensitive and tragic.