RIYADH: A Turkish barber who was sentenced to death by a Jeddah court on blasphemy charges will soon be released following a royal clemency.
“The Ministry of Interior has informed us about the release of Sabri Bogday, who has been languishing in a Saudi prison for the last three years,” Turkish Ambassador to the Kingdom Naci Koru said yesterday.
Thanking the Saudi government on behalf of the Turkish government and people, Koru said the Kingdom has rescinded the death penalty and that the authorities are processing papers to release Bogday.
Bogday, a hairdresser in Jeddah, was sentenced to death for swearing at God during an argument with his neighbor, an Egyptian tailor. Police arrested Bogday after the tailor lodged a complaint. The case received much publicity in the Turkish and Western media.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul personally intervened in the case and requested Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to grant a royal pardon. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also discussed the case with King Abdullah.
Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, a Riyadh-based lawyer, said rulings in such cases largely depend on judges’ interpretations of the Shariah. “Some judges consider it heresy and infidelity, and say that the accused cannot repent and so faces death penalty,” said Al-Lahem. “Others consider the statement to be disbelief, thus allow the accused to retract what he has said and repent, and then set him free.”
According to Saudi law, the testimony of an accuser is not acceptable if it is found that he or she might have some ulterior motive. “If two people have an argument, the testimony of one of the two against the other cannot be legally accepted,” he said, adding that the Investigation and Prosecution Board should have investigated the case thoroughly before taking it to court. “Saudi courts rarely issue guilty verdicts in such cases,” he added.
Ersin Taze, another Turkish barber who was facing the death penalty for allegedly slandering the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), was released and then repatriated to Ankara six months ago.
