25 May 2019•Update: 25 May 2019
RIYADH
The son of jailed Saudi preacher Salman al-Awda has described reports about the execution of his father by the Saudi authorities as “shocking”.
“We receive news and leaks about the intent to execute the sheikhs of Saudi Arabia, including my father,” Abdullah al-Awda wrote on Twitter.
He said Saudi prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for his father and two other preachers.
On Wednesday, the Doha-based International Union for Muslim Scholars called for the release of what it described as “prisoners of conscience” in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The call came amid reports that Saudi authorities would execute a number of jailed preachers on terror charges, including al-Awda, after the fasting month of Ramadan, which will end early next month.
Senior Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouq has confirmed the execution reports, citing two unnamed Saudi sources.
There was no comment from Saudi authorities on the reports.
Al-Awda was arrested in late 2017 as part of a campaign against scholars and writers on terrorism charges.
Activists on Twitter said the arrests came against the background of their opposition to the Saudi-led blockade on Qatar in mid-2017.
Last June, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain abruptly cut diplomatic and commercial ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups in the region.
Qatar has denied the accusations, describing the attempts to isolate it as a breach of international law.
