The Riyadh Criminal Court has again postponed the consideration of Abdul Rahim’s release petition, who is in a Saudi prison. This is the 12th time the court has postponed the case since the death penalty was abolished on July 2 last year.
Rahim, who was sentenced to death in the case of the murder of Saudi boy Anas Al-Shahiri, was released after his family accepted a compensation of Rs 34 crore and pardoned him. Once the family has pardoned him, the procedure under public law is usually completed and the release is granted. Rahim’s case has been unusually delayed. Rahim got a job as a driver in 2006 and was imprisoned for a murder case less than a month after he arrived in Riyadh.
Since he has been in prison for 19 years, Abdul Rahim will not have to spend much more time in prison even if he is sentenced to prison. It is likely that he will be released after considering the time he has served so far as punishment. In any case, the final verdict of the court is awaited.
