JEDDAH: The Supreme Judicial Council has not endorsed a death penalty verdict laid down by a Jeddah general court early last year and upheld by an appeals court in November against a Canadian and Jordanian for the murder of a Syrian national in a schoolyard fight. The reasons for not endorsing the executions have not been revealed.
An official inside the Jeddah courtroom, who wished his name not be published, said it is not unusual for the council to make inquiries and request further reviews, especially in cases of death sentences. “It does not necessarily mean that it will not endorse the verdict later on,” said the source.
Family members of the 19-year-old victim, Munzer Al-Haraki, expressed their confidence in the Saudi judicial system, but criticized the lengthy court procedures.
The Al-Haraki family said in a written statement to Arab News that it is the Supreme Judicial Council’s duty to investigate all aspects of the case before passing the ruling to the country’s supreme authority for final approval.
“We believe in the fairness of the Kingdom’s esteemed judicial system, but we are disappointed at the long process and delays,” the statement said.
The two convicted men — 23-year-old Canadian Mohammed Kohail and 22-year-old Jordanian Mohanna Ezzat — along with Kohail’s younger brother, Sultan, 18, were charged with the murder of Al-Haraki in an after-school fight in Jeddah in January 2007. The fight allegedly erupted when Sultan, who was 17 at the time, harassed Al-Haraki’s 19-year-old cousin, Raneem.
Sultan’s case is still ongoing in a general court after an appeals court threw out a previous ruling of 200 lashes and a year in prison by a juvenile court and ordered a retrial in an adult court. Sultan may also face the death penalty if found guilty. The Kohail brothers’ father, Ali, refused to comment further except to say: “My hope is in Allah.”
