JEDDAH: The Court of Grievances yesterday postponed for the third time a hearing into the case of a 16-year-old who was executed in Jizan for a crime he committed when he was 13.
The hearing will now be held after Haj, as police representatives failed once again to attend scheduled hearings.
The court is considering a case filed by the teenager’s father, Hussein Al-Hakami, who accuses the Jizan police of mishandling the case of his son, Mueed, who was executed for the alleged abduction, rape and murder of a three-year-old boy.
Abdullah Al-Zmami, an attorney from the Al-Zmami Law Firm that is representing Al-Hakami, said the case has been postponed for a third time. He added that the judge said that a verdict would be issued at the next hearing.
In a previous interview, Al-Zmami told Arab News that officers who dealt with the case admitted to not involving the Prosecution and Investigation Board or ordering forensic tests to find physical evidence to prove the crime. “The fact remains that the police ... forced a confession out of him and deprived him of his legal rights,” he said.
The crux of the current dispute between the lawyer and the local authorities lies in who had jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute the case. Al-Zmami said it is illegal for police to detain a minor, defined as someone under the age of 15.
