Paul Murphy condemns Saudi execution of minor protester
Paul Murphy raised the execution of Mustafa Hashim al-Darwish in Saudi Arabia and asked that the Taoiseach raise the case at the European Council. He described al-Darwish as arrested while a minor in 2015, held in solitary confinement, allegedly tortured into a confession that was later recanted, and executed yesterday; Murphy said he opposes the death penalty in all cases.
Case details
Paul Murphy outlined that Mustafa Hashim al-Darwish was arrested as a minor in 2015 after participating in protests. He said al-Darwish was held in solitary confinement, brutally tortured, confessed under those conditions, recanted the confession in court and was executed yesterday.
Human rights and legal concerns
Murphy said the execution represents a blatant human rights abuse and a breach of prior Saudi commitments not to apply the death penalty to children. He affirmed his absolute opposition to the death penalty and described its application to those who were children at the time of the alleged offences as particularly abhorrent, especially where the alleged offence was participation in a protest.
International support and arms sales
Paul Murphy noted that the Saudi regime receives substantial support from the US Administration in funding and arms and that Saudi Arabia purchases weapons from EU countries. He raised these points in the context of questioning international responsibility and scrutiny.
Call for EU action
Murphy urged the Taoiseach to raise the case at the European Council and asked whether the EU will make a strong statement about this execution and the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. He sought a forceful response from the government and the EU on the issue.
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I want to raise a particular case of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia and ask that the Taoiseach raises it at the European Council. Yesterday the Saudi authorities executed a young man called Mustafa Hashim al-Darwish. He was arrested while a minor in 2015 as a result of participation in protests. He was held in solitary confinement, he was brutally tortured and in those conditions he confessed to various crimes. When he was brought before the court he recanted his confession, it was a result of that torture. But nonetheless he was executed yesterday. Not only is that horrific abuse of human rights, it is also a clear breach of the commitments that the Saudi authorities have previously made, saying that they do not apply the death penalty to children, and it is another example of them doing precisely that. I am completely opposed to the death penalty full stop, but obviously the death penalty applied to those who were children at the time of their alleged offences, and this is a case of participating in a protest, is particularly abhorrent. Obviously the Saudi regime is in receipt of very substantial support from the US Administration in terms of funding and arms and so on, but it also is a recipient, it buys weapons from EU countries. So the question is whether the EU will make a strong statement about this particular case and about the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. What's the most recent attack of the Saudi Arabia or the Saudi Arabia? A clone of the Saudi Arabia from the Saudi Arabia is in the biennale. Thank you very much. I don't see an example of the government. This is an example of a customer-its- palpado.
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