Additional Name(s): Dawoud al-Marhoon, داود المرهون

Gender: Male

Current Location: Mabahith Prison, Dammam

Perpetrator: Saudi Arabia

Ethnic Group: Arab

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Shi'a

Reports of Torture: Yes

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: Commuted to 10 Years' Imprisonment (Originally Death)

Date of Detainment: May/21/2012

Date of Sentencing: October//2014

Date of Release: February/2/2022

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Protesting Religious Freedom Conditions Religious Identity

Nature of Charges: Aid & Abetment Arms Trafficking & Illicit Use of Weapons Illegal Assembly Terrorism Theft & Robbery

Dawood al-Marhoun

Extra Bio Info:

Dawood al-Marhoun was imprisoned for his religious identity and for protesting religious discrimination.

On May 21, 2012, authorities arrested al-Marhoun, who was 17 years old at the time, for participating in protests against Shi'a discrimination in the Eastern Province. According to one of his family members, al-Marhoun spent roughly a year and a half in pre-trial detention without ever being charged. He was also reportedly held incommunicado several times during his detention and was denied access to a lawyer.

When al-Marhoun was finally charged, he was accused of "'participating in marches and gatherings...and chanting slogans against the state,' throwing Molotov cocktails at police patrols...attacking the Awamiya police station, burglarizing a pharmacy to steal medical supplies to treat wounded protesters, and supporting protesters by 'buying water and distributing it to them.'"

In October 2014, the Specialized Criminal Court convicted al-Marhoun of all charges and sentenced him to death. The main evidence indicating his supposed guilt was a confession that he was reportedly coerced into signing. The court failed to investigate his torture allegations.

Al-Marhoun's sentence was upheld in October 2015.

In November 2020, al-Marhoun's sentence was commuted to ten years in prison.

On February 2, 2022, it was reported that al-Marhoun had been released.

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