An international human rights group says a Saudi Arabian national planning on attending Western Michigan University was arrested on his way to the United States for attending a pro-democracy demonstration and now his beheading is imminent.
The American Federation of Teachers and Michigan AFT president David Hecker are asking state representatives and President Trump to use their connections and try to stop the beheading of 23-year-old Mujtaba al-Sweitkat.
Maya Foa, Director of Reprieve, an international human rights group said:
The increasingly brutal Saudi Arabian regime has ramped up executions for protest-related offenses in recent days, and this latest move is extremely worrying.
Mujtaba was a promising 17-year-old boy on his way to study in Michigan when he was arrested, beaten, and later sentenced to death on the basis of a "confession" extracted through torture.
He now faces the imminent threat of beheading along with 14 others, including at least one other juvenile and a young disabled man.
To carry out these executions would constitute an appalling breach of international law, and President Trump, Secretary Tillerson and Governor Snyder should use their close ties to Saudi Arabia to make clear that these egregious abuses must stop - and the imminent executions be immediately stayed.
An online petition has been launchedin an effort to stop the executions.
