Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula One champion, has been asked by the sister of a man who has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia to assist spare her brother’s life.
In a phone conversation with The Associated Press, Zeinab Abu Al-Kheir said Hamilton’s assertion two weeks ago in Qatar that Formula One is “duty bound” to raise human rights awareness makes her think he might be able to save her brother, Hussein Abu Al-Kheir. On Sunday, the focus of auto racing will shift to Saudi Arabia, which will host an F1 race for the first time.
“Dear Lewis, I’m writing to you in the hopes that you can save my brother’s life,” Abu Al-Kheir wrote to Hamilton last week from her home in Canada, in a letter obtained exclusively by the Associated Press. “Simply stating his name while in Saudi Arabia might enough.”
“I’m not really sure which letter you’re referring to, so I can’t really comment on that one,” Hamilton said during his pre-race news conference on Thursday when asked about the letter.
According to the government’s tally and independent observers, Saudi Arabia, which has been one of the world’s most prolific executioners for years, substantially reduced the number of individuals executed in 2020, following changes that halted executions for non-violent drug-related crimes.
With her younger brother imprisoned in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, nearly 6,000 miles (approximately 9,700 kilometers) away, Abu Al-Kheir expressed hope that Hamilton may provide a link to powerful Saudis.
“A famous man like Hamilton can do something,” Abu Al-Kheir said from her house in Ottowa. “He can talk to the prince (Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman), the minister of interior, or even King Salman.” “People like Hamilton raise awareness of governments all across the world.”
Abu Al-Kheir says her brother, a 56-year-old Jordanian, was sentenced to death five years ago on drug-related charges in a letter to Hamilton provided exclusively with the Associated Press by the legal advocacy group Reprieve.
She claims her husband and father of eight was unintentionally employed as a drug mule and tortured horribly when he was apprehended. Customs authorities checked his car one day when he drove from Jordan to Saudi Arabia for work as a driver.
In her letter, Abu Al-Kheir claimed, “For 12 days, my brother told the cops the truth: that he knew nothing about the drugs.” “They hung him upside down from the ceiling and beat him on every part of his body.” The agony was so extreme that we could still see the scars a year later. He eventually falsely admitted to narcotics trafficking.”
Saudi Arabia was ranked third in the world by Amnesty International for the highest number of executions in 2019.
In the six years that King Salman and the powerful crown prince have reigned, 392 people have been executed for non-violent offences, according to Reprieve.
In 2020, compared to an all-time high of 184 executions the year before, there was a considerable decrease. A ban on the death penalty for drug-related offenses contributed to the decrease.
However, Abu Al-Kheir told the Associated Press that she is concerned that her brother could still be executed.
“They claimed to have put an end to the beheadings for almost a year. But no one knows what they’re up to (inside the prison),” she explained.
Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have been accused of “sports-washing” their human rights records by presenting a positive image through high-profile athletic events.
The World Cup will be held in Qatar next year. After winning in Riyadh two years ago, boxer Anthony Joshua left Saudi Arabia with a fortune of roughly $70 million. After purchasing Newcastle United in the English Premier League in October, Saudi Arabia came under fire.
Late last year, Human Rights Watch launched a campaign to challenge what it describes as the Saudi government’s “deliberate strategy to detract from the country’s reputation as a ubiquitous human rights offender” by spending billions of dollars hosting large events.
Amnesty International’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Heba Morayef, warned that fashionable events should not overshadow human rights.
“The Saudi Arabian authorities have massively engaged in public relations stunts to re-brand their image,” Morayef stated in a news release on Thursday. “The Saudi Arabian government must understand that the best public relations come from upholding human rights.”
“I tried all I could think of to help my brother, to preserve his life,” she told The Associated Press. “Every time I see his kids and wife, I give him hope.”
Hamilton has been an outspoken supporter of human rights.
He and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel spoke out in July against the Hungarian government’s planned referendum on LGBT rights.
In honor of the LGBTQ+ community, Hamilton wore a rainbow on his Mercedes helmet in Qatar. Nicki Minaj walked out of a show in Saudi Arabia two years ago to defend women’s and gay rights.
Same-sex partnerships are illegal in Saudi Arabia, and can result in flogging or death. Individuals are rarely convicted despite widespread discrimination and persecution.
In a press conference on Thursday, Hamilton addressed the problem.
“If everyone takes the time to study what the legislation says about the LGBTQ+ community, it’s really alarming,” Hamilton added.
“Do I feel at ease here (racing)?” I’m going to say yes. “However, it is not my choice to be here; it is the sport’s choice to be here,” Hamilton explained. “There needs to be a lot of change, and I believe our sport needs to do more.”
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