RIYADH, 27 March 2008 — Stockwell Day, the visiting Canadian public safety minister, appealed to Saudi officials yesterday for clemency for a Canadian national sentenced to death by a Saudi court early this month.
Day, who arrived here Tuesday night on a tour of the Middle East, sought a pardon for Mohammed Kohail, 23, sentenced for his role in a school brawl last year in which a Saudi youth was killed.
Andrea Meyer, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Embassy, confirmed that Day had arrived in Riyadh to discuss with Saudi officials the case of the Canadian man in addition other subjects of mutual interest. She said Day had raised the issue during talks with the Saudi officials and that the minister would release a statement on Wednesday night.
“Minister Day is going to discuss a whole range of issues related to regional and international security,” said Meyer, when asked about the purpose of the minister’s visit.
She said that the case of Mohamed Kohail was an important item on the minister’s agenda. “Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier has already written to his Saudi counterpart to review the sentence,” Day said.
Kohail was convicted of killing a teenager, Munzer Hiraki, in a schoolyard brawl in Jeddah. On March 3, a Saudi court sentenced Kohail and his friend, Muhanna Masoud, to execution.
There have been media reports, however, that Hiraki’s death was due to a heart condition. Kohail has 80 days to appeal from the date of the ruling. He was arrested, along with his brother Sultan last spring, and imprisoned in Jeddah. Sultan’s fate remains unclear. There has been a demand that Ottawa investigate allegations that confessions were obtained under duress.
Kohail’s family spent several years in Montreal before returning to Saudi Arabia for a cousin’s wedding. The two boys were involved in a fight that broke out after a young man accused Sultan of insulting his female cousin.
The brother demanded an apology, but Sultan refused and called for help from Kohail. He was then confronted by several boys over the insult.
According to the account of the Kohail brothers, Kohail arrived at the school with a friend to face about a dozen of the girl’s male relatives and friends. Some were allegedly armed with clubs and knives.
A large number of Kohail’s supporters staged a rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa last Sunday, demanding the Canadian government exert pressure on the Kingdom to spare the man’s life.
