It was likely embarrassing for the United Nations Human Rights Council when, in a statement released last week and attributed to a group of human-rights experts, it called on Saudi Arabia to immediately halt executions of children. After all, Saudi Arabia is a member of the board.
But as Saudi King Salman considers giving his blessing to the sentence handed Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, the case should also prove an embarrassment to the United States, whose alliances of convenience continue to force American values into compromising positions.
Al-Nimr, arrested in 2012 at age 17, is to be beheaded and his body publicly crucified in a spectacle more commonly found in regions controlled by Islamic State than that of a longtime U.S. ally. He was convicted of terrorism for his participation in the Arab Spring demonstrations, which included such heinous acts as protesting and using social media to express views critical of the kingdom's absolute monarchy.
In reality, the death sentence probably has more to do with the fact that al-Nimr is the nephew of an influential cleric critical of the government.
Saudi Arabia has executed 134 people this year, most, it is believed, by public beheading, according to the United Nations. Further, according to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia is one of the top three executioners in the world, behind China and Iran.
The United States likely has no pull with those other two states, but Saudi Arabia's position as a favored American ally affords the U.S. government the ability to relentlessly pursue the cause of al-Nimr.
Editorial on 10/03/2015