(The following inspired by a friends prompt could one fit RAGBAG into a piece of writing to bring along to the February Session of the Cellar Bards )
Myriads of Consciousness
My divergent thoughts are akin to a rag bag
frequently refuelled at dawn,
in spare moments, on vaults of eternity
spinning words, from waves of optimism,
infusing a melange of fermenting emotions
as waters levels rise above the equilibrium,
on a hill remembering those that came before
on pathways of navigation, measuring time,
under the influence of drum beats symphony
flavoured by tobacco, grass and rum,
searching for reasons, visions once lost
finding gravity, in moment's of flight,
rediscovering the joyful solitude of one
magic in music, oceans of sounds,
the moon gliding through the night sky
dancing pulsating stars, casting their light,
the memory bank of inner imagination
avalanches of alchemical surrender,
unlocking the doors of perception
secrets once locked away, now shared,
lessons from history, the illusion of choice
insurrectionary choruses with non-passive voice ,
tibetan charms, the belief in reincarnation
beautiful goddesses, on a mission,
mind drifts, towards sinuous horizon
the petals outside calling, springtime returning,
on the threshold of the land of dreaming
beyond borders, tremulous echos resonate.
The DWP has admitted
shredding reports on around 50 people who killed themselves following
social security payments being withdrawn, promoting accusations of a
“cover-up.” by some families who lost loved ones.
Officials at the DWP claim they shredded reports into suicides linked
to benefit payments ,
made before 2015, being stopped, citing data
protection laws.
However the data watchdog has rubbished the claims, insisting that
there was no legal requirement to destroy the documents by a specific
date. They added that a “public interest” exemption could have been used.
One benefit recipient, Tim Salter, who had been left
partially-sighted following a previous suicide attempt and who was
experiencing mental health issues, was found ‘fit for work’ and his
welfare payments were severely cut, just nine months before his death in
2013.
The admission from the UK government department comes following a
Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the BBC. It revealed that
at least 49 internal reviews carried out by 2015 had been shredded.
The harsh changes to the welfare system, introduced by the then-Work
and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith between 2010 and 2016, were
widely criticized following concerns they were linked to suicides among
claimants.
Stephen
Timms, chairman of the Commons work and pensions committee, threatened
ministers with an inquiry if he does not receive clarity on what
improvements can be made.
Mr Timms said he was "sympathetic" to those who feared an internal
cover-up, and speculated that the department was attempting to keep
"hush-hush" any links between the deaths and decisions to stop benefits
or deem the claimants fit to work.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the DWP should be looking to learn from past mistakes rather than disposing of evidence.
"I think families should be entitled to see these reports," said the Labour MP.
"The law does not specify five years or six years, and I think this kind of information should be held for longer.
"In
any case, there's no reason why they should be destroyed. They should
be kept and progress on implementing improvements monitored."
Mr Timms said one of the early things his committee will look at when
it meets for the first time in this parliament is to agree on a letter
calling for "clarification and improvements" from welfare ministers.
If the response is not deemed satisfactory an inquiry will be considered, he confirmed.
He told the BBC: "I think all of this raises very troubling questions for the department.
"For
a long time they refused to address them at all. Now they're starting
to address them but in a very secretive and unsatisfactory way.
"I think for a long time they were very reluctant to accept that what they were doing had contributed to these deaths at all.
"I
think they are now being forced to own up to the fact. That is
happening, but they're doing it very reluctantly and very slowly and
trying to keep the thing as hush-hush as possible, and it's not good
enough."
The news comes after Labour’s Debbie Abrahams fought back tears in the Commons
on Monday as she read out more than 20 names of people who died after
experiencing difficulties with the benefits system.
The
MP said some died after “taking (his/her) own life after being found
fit for work” or through illness after losing their benefits.
Leading a Commons debate on the death of people on social security
benefits since 2014, Ms Abrahams told MPs: “These are people’s family
members and we are failing them, we’re absolutely failing them. We
mustn’t let this continue.”
She added: “This isn’t an exhaustive list but it shames us all, it shames the Government in terms of the inaction.
“I’ve raised this so many times over the last five years and there’s been no change whatsoever.”
Ms Abrahams accused the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of
failing to have the right systems in place to learn from deaths linked
to benefit issues, asking: “Do you not feel ashamed?” She also said:
“It’s a scandal. These are British citizens who are dying as a result of
policies implemented by this Government. “Everybody should be taking
note.”
Ms Abrahams said she has asked for a full independent inquiry and
wants a response by the end of the week, noting: “This is too serious to
be ignored.”
Earlier, the former shadow work and pensions secretary said: “Over
three-quarters of claimants who appeal their assessment decision telling
them that they are fit for work have the decision overturned. “And
that’s because these are poorly people.”
She went on: “Peer-reviewed research published by the Journal of
Epidemiology and Community Health estimated that between 2010 and 2013
work capability assessment was independently associated with an
additional 590 suicides, 280,000 cases of self-reported mental health
problems and 725,000 additional anti-depressant scripts. “These assessments are not only not fit for purposes, they are actually doing harm.”
Ms Abrahams, before reading out the list, also referred in detail to
three cases – including 57-year-old Errol Graham who died in 2018
weighing just 4.5 stone, eight months after his Employment and Support
Allowance was stopped after he missed a work capability assessment.
She said: “His daughter-in-law Alison has been scathing telling me of
the anger she and husband Lee feel. “She said that what was
particularly shocking was how the QC acting on behalf of the Government
during the inquest tried to intimidate not just the family but others as
well, shouting at the police officer who found Errol’s body about what
else he’d seen.
“In particular what offended them deeply was that … the police
officer was asked had they found takeaway menus or any takeaway
cartons. “It was quite clear at that inquest the DWP, … and the
Government, was far from listening and trying to learn from this but
they were seeking to blame, which is absolutely unforgivable.”
Ms Abrahams also highlighted the cases of Jodey Whiting, who took her
own life after her disability benefits were stopped, and Liverpool
resident Stephen Smith – with MPs hearing his “emaciated” body was “more
reminiscent of someone from a concentration camp rather than 21st
century Britain”.
The Commons heard he died of multiple organ failure after being found fit for work.
The individual cases are listed here exactly as they were described in the
Commons by Labour MP Debbie Abrahams. Changes to phrasing have been made
by Hansard which produces a written record of the Commons.
Errol Graham died weighing just five stone in 2018 after his ESA was stopped Jodey Whiting took her own life in 2017, three days after last ESA payment Stephen Smith died of multiple organ failure after being found fit for work Jimmy Ballentine took his own life in 2018 after being found fit for work Amy Nice took her own life in 2018 after being found fit for work Kevin Dooley took his own life in 2018 after losing ESA Brian Bailey died in July 2018, taking his own life after being found fit for work Elaine Morrall died in November 2017, taking her own life Daniella Obeng died in December 2017, again taking her own life Brian Sycamore died in September 2017, taking his own life after leaving a note blaming the DWP after failing his work capability assessment Mark Scholfield who died in July 2017, was a terminal cancer patient who did not receive any UC before he died in spite of his illness Chris Gold
who died in October 2017, was found fit for work following a stroke and
was facing foreclosure when he died because he could not work Lawrence Bond collapsed and died in the street in January 2017 after being found fit for work Julia Kelly died in 2015, taking her own life after losing ESA for a third time Ben McDonald took his own life in March 2015 after being found fit for work Chris Smith who died in 2015, had cancer and was found fit for work despite a terminal diagnosis Michael Connolly took his own life on his birthday in May 2014 after losing his ESA David Clapson could not afford to power his fridge to store his insulin and died as a result in July 2014 George from Chesterfield
died of a heart attack in May 2014, eight months after being found fit
for work despite having had three previous heart attacks Robert Barlow died of cancer in April 2014 after losing his ESA David Barr died in September 2014, taking hiThere is a mass of anecdotal evidence out there that indicate vulnerable
people are being put under intense economic and psychological pressure
by the actions of the DWP and their 'Job-Centre' foot soldiers.s own life after losing ESA Trevor Drakard took his own life in 2014 Shaun Pilkington died in January 2014 Terry McGarvey died in February 2014
DWP minister Mr Tomlinson said failings would be looked at by a Serious Case Panel.
But
despite inquiries by outlets such as the Disability News
Service, the DWP has repeatedly refused to release details of how this
panel will work.
There is a mass of anecdotal evidence out there that indicate deeply vulnerable
people are being put under intense economic and psychological pressure
by the actions of the DWP and their 'Job-Centre' foot soldiers, .that sees individuals, who are desperately in need of support, not punishment, being tipped over the edge, often after benefits were withdrawn, leaving them stressed and penniless.
In what should be a national scandal, real lives have been lost because people could not see a future
beyond the mess of their welfare payments. Every one of their deaths could and should have been avoided. While we must grieve for those
lives, the starkest examples of the
psychological fall-out of austerity, we should not forget. so many more who are suffering day-in,
day-out. It’s yet more evidence that the welfare benefits system is unfit for
purpose.
Shamefully, instead of taking all this into consideration, the Tory government’s punitive approach, (alongside that of the DWP) is not likely to cease any day soon. They will continue to fail the most vulnerable among us, withdrawing support from those
who so need it most, leaving people out of pocket and unable to afford
the basic essentials and putting many lives further at risk. We have a long time to go to claim we live in a compassionate society when we allow people to endure this systematic cruelty.
Hundreds of people including Roger Waters, co-founder of the Pink Floyd
rock group, designer Vivienne Westwood, and former Greek finance minister Yannis Varoufakis. marched through central
London on Saturday demanding that jailed Wikileaks founder Julian
Assange be released.
Fashion designer and activist Vivienne Westwood wore a neon green paper halo with the word "angel" written in black marker. Assange was "the angel of democracy," she explained.
The
case was injected with a dose of intrigue last week when the defence
claimed US President Donald Trump had promised to pardon Assange if he
denied Russia leaked emails of his 2016 election rival's campaign.
US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian GRU military
intelligence agencies hacked the servers of the Democratic National
Committee (DNC) in the runup to the November vote.
WikiLeaks then
published the stolen emails. Assange has previously said that he
received them from through his website's anonymous file sharing system
and had no idea who obtained them first.
The DNC hack plays no role in the US case against Assange and Trump denied promising a pardon but the court said last week that the evidence was admissable.
Waving placards declaring “Journalism is not a crime” and “The truth
will set you free,” the protesters marched to Parliament Square, where
speakers included Assange’s father, John Shipton.
Assange, 48, spent seven years holed up in Ecuador's London Embassy before being dragged out in April. Shipton has said his son’s health suffered during in that time and may not survive the prosecution.and
fears that sending his son to the United States would be akin to a death
sentence.
He said: “I look over the crowd and see many familiar faces in the crowd and the press supporting Julian and I thank you.
“I bring to you his affection, his nobility of purpose and his
strength of character after nine years. I don’t really understand why
Julian is in jail here.”
He described the imprisonment of the Wikileaks founder as “arbitrary detention.”
The US aims to prosecute Assange under the Espionage Act, accusing
him of scheming with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to
hack a password for a classified government computer. WikiLeaks subsequently published thousands of classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Assange faces 18 charges from the US, including conspiracy to hack into government computers.
The hearing, scheduled for today, will consider only whether the
charges are political in nature — not Assange’s guilt or innocence, If the court finds the charges are political, his extradition would not be permitted under the UK-US extradition treaty.If found guilty he could face a 175-year prison sentence.
A hero to many because he has
exposed abuses of power, yet Assange is cast by critics as a dangerous
enemy of the state who has undermined Western security. He says the
extradition is politically motivated by those embarrassed by his
revelations. Assange argues he acted as a journalist and is therefore entitled to
First Amendment protection. He also maintains the documents exposed
wrongdoing and protected many people.
Civil liberties groups and journalism organizations, including
Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, have urged the U.S.
to drop the charges, saying they set a chilling precedent for freedom
of the press. Amnesty International issued the following statement about the Assange
“The US government’s unrelenting pursuit of Julian Assange for having
published disclosed documents that included possible war crimes
committed by the US military is nothing short of a full-scale assault on
the right to freedom of expression.”
Assange is currently incarcerated in London’s high-security Belmarsh
Prison, having previously spent seven years inside the Embassy of
Ecuador. He holed up in the South American country’s U.K. diplomatic mission
in 2012 to avoid being sent to Sweden to face questioning over rape and
sexual assault allegations. That case has since been dropped.Assange was evicted from the embassy in April 2019 and arrested by British police for jumping bail seven years earlier.
Ahead of the protests,
76-year-old singer-songwriter Roger Waters accused “the powers that be” of
trying to “kill” Assange ahead of his extradition hearing. Speaking on Friday, Waters dismissed the charges against Assange as “nonsense” and claimed he faced a “kangaroo court”.
“He has committed no
crime, he published something, he’s a journalist, he did what
journalists are supposed to do. There was no threat to national
security,” Waters said.
“It looks as if
the powers that be have every intention of submitting to the demands of
the United States government to have him extradited to the US so they
can lock him up until he is dead.”
In addition to speaking at the protest rally, Waters put out a video supporting Assange, and suggested Assange should not be held for a “minor bail infringement”.
Asked
who he believed was behind Assange’s imprisonment, he said: “The ruling
class, the powers that be… the corporate world, the rich people, the
people who run everything, the people who tell (prime minister) Boris
Johnson and (US President) Donald Trump what to do. Those people.
“I’m not suggesting there are men in hoods and secret societies but we all see what’s happening.”
Speaking
to the press near Battersea Power Station in south London, Waters posed
for photographs next to a version of the inflatable pig balloon that
featured on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals.
Waters
previously called for the release of Assange during a rally outside the
Home Office in central London in September, when he played his former
band’s hit track Wish You Were Here from a makeshift stage. https://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.com/2019/09/pink-floyds-roger-waters-to-perform.html
Assange's lawyer, Éric Dupond-Moretti, said on Friday that he intended to ask French President Emmanuel Macron for political asylum in France.
Assange lived in France for three years and has a child living there, France rejected a previous asylum request in 2015.
The extradition hearings at Woolwich Crown Court will be held in
two parts, with the second section not starting until May to allow both
sides more time to gather evidence.
Earlier today, Mr
Assange spoke initially to confirm his name and date of birth to the
hearing.
Mr Assange nodded towards the press benches before taking his seat.
The court's public gallery was full with supporters of Mr Assange,
including his father John Shipton. who a day before claimed his son had been "harassed" by a prison cell
search.
After a visit to the prison on Sunday, Mr Shipton criticised the
"plague of malice" which he said "emanates from the Crown Prosecution
Service" towards Assange. Mr Shipton urged that his son be allowed bail, telling reporters:
"For the life of me I can’t understand why Julian Assange is in jail
having committed no crime, with family here that he can come and live
with."
Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis said Assange was in a "very dark
place" due to spending more than 20 hours a day in solitary confinement.
Mr Varoufakis called for the extradition to be stopped "in the
interests of 300 years of modernity, 300 years of trying to establish
human rights and civil liberties in the west and around the world".
Assange's lawyer, Éric Dupond-Moretti, tsaid on Friday that he intended to ask French President Emmanuel Macron for political asylum in France.Assange lived in France for three years and has a child living there. France rejected a previous asylum request in 2015.
More than 40 international legal experts have written to Prime
Minister Boris Johnson demanding the "rule of law be upheld", claiming
Mr Assange has not had proper access to his legal team.
The letter was handed in to 10 Downing Street on Saturday and also
urged the British legal community to act "urgently" to secure the
WikiLeak founder's release.
Former
Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, whom Assange was charged to
have conspired with, was sent back to jail last May for refusing a second time to comply with a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks and Assange. Many believe that Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange are both imprisoned and tortured for
revealing the ugly truth about wars, empire, torture and political corruption. Hopefully soon justice will prevail. Here is a link to Assange's Defence Opening Statement. https://dontextraditeassange.com/JA_Defence_Opening.pdf
Next
week, on February 24, a court in the U.K. will hold a hearing to
determine whether to grant Trump’s request to extradite WikiLeaks
founderJulian Assange to the United States for trial on 18 charges under the Espionage Act carrying
up to 175 years in prison.
Assange’s alleged crimes date back to 2010, when the organization he
founded, WikiLeaks, transmitted documents to media outlets including Le
Monde, The Guardian and The New York Times. The documents, which were
provided to WikiLeaks by whistleblower Chelsea
Manning, included 250,000 US diplomatic cables and US army reports
about military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and
exposed cases of torture, abduction and disappearances. The publication of these documents by media outlets was clearly in the public interest, and not an act of espionage. If the legal persecution of Assange continues, investigative journalism
and press freedom will be the victims, since news organizations
regularly rely on and publish classified information to serve the public
interest. Since
his arrest Assange has been locked
up in Belmarsh Prison in London and UN special rapporteur Nils Melzer
reported that he has been deliberately exposed to inhuman and degrading
treatment that could be described as psychological torture. Former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray has said “he has all
the symptoms of a torture victim, in terms of disorientation &
difficulty in asserting their will & speaking coherently" Massimo Moratti of Amnesty International has publicly stated on their website that "Were Julian Assange to be extradicted or subjected to any other transfer to the USA, Britain would be in breach of its obligations under international law." Human Rights Watch published an article saying. "The only thing standing between an Assange prosecution and a major threat to global media freedom is Britain. It is urgent that it defend the principles at risk." Assange's arrest and possible extradition to face charges related to an alleged conspiracy with Chelsea Manning to publish documents that exposed corruption and criminality by numerous private businesses, tyrant, and countries worldwide is ultimately an attack on press freedom. The arrest sets a dangerous precedent that could extend to other media organizations. The NUJ has stated "US charges against Assange pose a huge threat, that could criminalise the critical work of investigative journalists and their ability to protect their sources." Assange is now in grave danger. The Trump administration is pressing for
his extradition to the US, where he will be indicted on fabricated
charges and face a heavy jail term or even the death penalty. Assange’s
only “crime” has been to expose to the world the war crimes and
diplomatic intrigues of US imperialism. Rather than being extradited to the U.S to be tried and imprisoned, he should be released
and allowed to return to his home to Australia. With renewed attacks on civil liberties by Boris Johnson and the Conservative Government looking increasingly likely, this fight is part of the same fight to ensure we are not silenced over Palestine and that anti-trade union laws do not become any stricter. Stopping the extradition of Assange is a fight for us all. The risk of an unfair trial is very real given the targeted public campaign against Assange undertaken by US officials at the highest levels. This has severely undermined his right to be presumed innocent. Join in calling on the UK government to respect the principles of freedom of expression and the defence of journalism, and to respect Assange's human rights. If we no longer know what out governments are doing and the criteria they are following if crimes are no longer being investigated, then it represents a grave danger to societal integrity. Please sign the following urgent petition to the UK government. Don't extradite Assange to the U,S. demanding that Assange is released and that he is ensured his safe passage home to Australia. https://www.codepink.org/assange?utm_campaign=assange_alert_feb20&utm_medium=email&utm_source=codepinkurging There is also a march from Australia House in London on 22 February. Find out more here. https://www.facebook.com/events/931609000567992/
( Dedicated to Caroline Flack and the proud people of Liverpool)
They are destroyers of rationality
They are the myopic voice of unreason,
They lie and smear the dead
They spread hatred and division,
They plague our towns with ignorance
They embrace the politics of misfortune,
They harass ordinary members of the public
They need to hear our condemnation,
They are a shit rag, not a newspaper
They are an insult to journalism,
They are hard right and xenophobic
They are homophobic bigoted scum,
They are poisonous muck rakers
They are cowards, an aberration,
They release nothing of any real value
They simply litter our streets with distortion,
They cause pain and too much sadness
They are shameless and can't be forgiven,
They are heartless, immoral bastards
They provoke outrage and much disgust,
They deserve to be put out of business
So please don't buy the bloody Sun.
Despite being one of the richest countries in the world, the United Kingdom faces extremely high levels of homelessness, much more than it should face. Almost one in 50 Londoners are now homeless. A crisis that has regretfully been building for years,
Whether
a person is experiencing street homelessness or is living in temporary
shelters, squats, or insecure accommodation, homelessness has a deep
impact on physical and mental health.
Homelessness can bee synonymous with loneliness and isolation. Often experiencing homelessness means facing a breakdown of personal and social relationships, and struggling to connect with a social network that can provide support.
Loneliness has serious negative implications for the health and wellbeing of individuals. Many feel invisible. On top of that people who sleep rough often experience a high level of stigma, physical and verbal abuse. Many people
experiencing homelessness will not see a doctor for long periods of
time, due to difficulties in registering with a GP, travel distance from
the clinic, and fear of stigma. Last year it was found that vulnerable people without a fixed address are being turned away from GP surgeries despite NHS guidelines that say they should receive treatment. Doctors of the World, is an independent humanitarian movement working at home and abroad to empower excluded people to access healthcare. Their volunteer doctors
and nurses provide a first medical assessment, prescribe medicines,
dress wounds, and provide advice. Their caseworkers help patients register
with a GP, supporting them in building up their trust to access
healthcare. They also strive to give a voice to the most marginalised, reporting on violence , injustice and unmet health needs wherever they find them, and campaign to ensure everyone can access the
healthcare they need.
Durga Sivasathiaseelan, GP and coordinator, of Doctors of the World's; mobile clinic which opened on 16th October 2019 and runs on a weekly basis and visit predetermined spots across the city where rough sleepers and homeless people can attend. said: “It is incredibly
hard for people experiencing homelessness and sleeping rough to access
healthcare. And when diseases go untreated, they can worsen dramatically
and affect people’s long-term health.
“This is particularly true for those who are experiencing street
homelessness or live in unstable accommodation, where their lives can be
chaotic, making it more challenging to address health needs.
“Accessing healthcare becomes less of a priority when you are worried
about where you are going to sleep and if it will be safe and warm.
“The mobile nature of this clinic will allow us to reach the most
vulnerable people in the City in a way that is flexible to their needs.”
Doctors of the World's London Clinic is at the heart of what they do in the UK.Volunteer doctors, nurses and caseworker provide essential care and
support to children, women, and men who have fled conflict and
discrimination, or escaped torture, exploitation, and poverty. Many of
them now live under the radar, in unstable accommodation, and struggle
to survive, often homeless and living below the poverty line.
Helping people in need at home and abroad is
central to Doctor's of the World's ethos. As part of the Médecins du Monde international
network, they strive to provide care to the most vulnerable, not only in
emergencies abroad but also on our doorstep.They can count on over
3,000 volunteers working in 80 countries around the world, focusing on
conflict and emergencies, harm reduction, maternal and child’s health,
and migrants.They work both long and short term, through
emergency programmes, support to local healthcare systems, witnessing
and advocacy.
The origins of MdM lay with the Médecins Sans Frontières .During the Vietnam War,
the future founding members of MdM were approached with the idea of
aiding Vietnamese refugees fleeing by ship on the South China Sea.
The majority of the Médecins Sans Frontières were against aiding the
Vietnamese refugees. However, Kouchner, along with volunteer doctors,
journalists, and others organized a hospital boat, L'Île de lumière, to provide medical care and to report the refugees' suffering.
MdM was founded as Bernard Kouchner and 14 others doctors split from the group he previously founded,Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders). It has been reported Kouchner felt that MSF was giving up its founding principle of témoignage ("witnessing"), which refers to aid workers making the atrocities they observe known to the public.
They've since provided essential healthcare to Syrian
refugees in the Middle East., and has also worked extensively with refugees in France and
Greece, running both static and mobile clinics providing mental health support to
refugees, migrants and strengthening the local
healthcare system.
Since opening in 1998, Doctor's of the World have
directly helped almost 20,000 people in the UK. Health is a human right. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one
of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of
race, religion, political belief, economic or social conditions. The right to health for all people means that everyone should
have access to the health services they need, when and where they need
them. Doctors of the World depends on generous donations from individuals who believe no one should suffer or die because they cannot access the health services they need. Please consider supporting people who need healthcare.
£32 could pay for prescriptions for two patients
£49 could pay for a week of travel expenses for a volunteer
£160 could contribute towards the training and recruitment of their medical volunteers
£280 could help toward the running costs and medical supplies for their clinic
Today is Dawood al-Marhoon’s 25th birthday. It’s his sixth on death row in Saudi Arabia. Dawood was just a 17 year old boy when he was arrested for
allegedly participating in an anti-government protest. He was tortured
and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his
‘confession’. Ultimately Dawood was sentenced to death by beheading. He
could be executed at any moment, without prior notification.
As a teenager, Dawood was sociable and popular. He loved playing
football and computer games. He excelled in his studies, and dreamed of
pursuing his love for technology and computers by studying a degree in
engineering. Thousands of young Saudis took to the streets demanding
reform across the Kingdom in Arab Spring protests from February 2011, –
Dawood was allegedly one of them.
He was questioned by Saudi police and asked to “spy” on protesters.
After he refused, Saudi security forces arrested him from the Dammam
Central Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for an eye injury
sustained in a traffic accident. Saudi forces surrounded the hospital
and arrested him as he prepared for surgery.
Dawood was transferred to a juvenile offenders’ facility, where he
was held incommunicado for nearly two weeks. During this time, he was
tortured and abused. While still a child, he was beaten and kicking,
trampled, and verbally abused. At least one interrogation session lasted
for 18 hours.
The Saudi authorities tortured him for weeks and refused to allow him
to communicate with anyone on the outside world. For two weeks,
Dawood’s family had no idea where Saudi authorities were holding him,
and he was prevented from speaking to a lawyer.
The investigators made him sign a blank document that would later
contain his confession to the crime of attending anti-government
protests, and association with fellow young protester Ali Mohammed Al-Nimr..
He was held for one year and four months before being transferred to
the General Department of Investigations headquarters in Dammam. All
access to legal counsel was denied during this period.
On 21 October 2014, after a total of seven hearings he was sentenced
to death by beheading by Saudi Arabia’s widely criticized Specialized
Criminal Court (SCC).
Throughout his time in detention and during his trial, Saudi
authorities prevented Dawood from speaking with a lawyer. Reprieve
understands that the Public Prosecution requested death by crucifixion.
The decision was appealed but the lawyers were not informed of any
further trial proceedings. On 29 September 2015, the SCC confirmed the
death sentence of death by beheading against Dawood.
In late September 2015, the Saudi authorities transferred Dawood from
Dammam prison to Riyadh’s Al-Hayir prison, where he is being kept in
solitary confinement with other people facing execution. Secrecy
surrounding Saudi’s execution practices prevents the family or the
prisoner from receiving prior notification of when the execution will be
carried out, so Dawood could now be executed at any time.
The human rights crisis in Saudi Arabia is getting worse despite promises of reform.
In 2019,there was a total of 184 executions in the Kingdom. There has
been an exponential rise in executions in the kingdom since 2015.
Saudi
Arabia systematically discriminates against its minority citizens and to
whomever is deemed a threat to the regime. Of those who are targeted by
the Saudi police are political activists, Shia, women’s rights
activists, and critics of the monarchy. More recently, 37 people were executed for allegedly spying for Iran and participating in anti-government demonstrations in the year 2019, including at least three who were children at the time of their alleged
offences, just like Dawood
It is important to condemn the
alarming escalation in the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, and the unjust actions practiced, which clearly violate
international fair trial standards, to extract confessions from their
prisoners. The Saudi government must immediately release Dawood and
provide him compensation for his unjust imprisonment, as well as release
all prisoners on death row arrested and charged on spurious political
charges. Dawood's situation is urgent.Many others, too numerous to be named, have also been sentenced to death
on ambiguous charges and following unfair trials. The reality is, more
and more violations of the right to life will occur without action. Let's not forget them .
Saudi Arabia continues to use
the death penalty as a tool of repression for non-violent and political
activities, with children among the many executed. This
systematic and flagrant disregard for basic human rights and respect for
the rule of law must be addressed by the international community.Global pressure must be applied to convince Saudi Arabia to uphold
international human rights standards, and place a moratorium on any
further death sentences and executions. Such actions , as both Reprieve and Amnesty International /have noted, are a brazen violation of international human rights law. https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/death-penalty/
Take action here :- https://act.reprieve.org.uk/page/content/saudiexecutions
