NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
The sister of a man who was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia is asking seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton to help save her brother's life.
Zeinab Abu Al-Kheir told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that Hamilton's declaration two weeks ago in Qatar that F1 is "duty bound" to raise awareness on human rights makes her think that he might be able to save her brother, Hussein Abu Al-Kheir. The spotlight of auto racing pivots to Saudi Arabia on Sunday when the kingdom for the first time hosts an F1 contest.
"Dear Lewis, I'm writing to you in the hope that can save my brother's life," Abu Al-Kheir wrote last week to Hamilton from her home in Canada, in a letter shared exclusively with the AP. "Just saying his name while you are in Saudi Arabia may be enough."
Asked about the letter during his pre-race news conference on Thursday, Hamilton said, "I'm not really sure which letter you're referring to, so I can't really comment on that one."
Saudi Arabia, for years one of the world's most prolific executioners, dramatically reduced the number of people put to death in 2020, following changes halting executions for non-violent drug-related crimes, according to the government's tally and independent observers.
With her younger brother jailed nearly 6,000 miles (about 9,700 kilometres) away in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Abu Al-Kheir said she hopes Hamilton might become a connection to powerful Saudis.
"A famous man like Hamilton can do something, he can talk with the prince (Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman), the minister of interior or even with King Salman," Abu Al-Kheir said from her home near Ottawa. "People like Hamilton bring attention to the governments everywhere."
In her letter to Hamilton, shared exclusively with the AP by the legal action NGO Reprieve, Abu Al-Kheir says her brother, a 56-year-old Jordanian, was put on death row five years ago on drug-related charges.
She says the husband and father of eight was unwittingly used as a drug mule and when he was arrested, horrifically tortured. On his route from Jordan into Saudi Arabia for work as a driver, customs officers one day searched his car.
"For 12 days, my brother told the officers the truth: that he knew nothing about the pills," Abu Al-Kheir wrote in her letter. "They suspended him from the ceiling, upside down, and beat him on every part of his body. The torture was so severe that even a year later, we could see the marks. Eventually, he falsely admitted to trafficking the drugs."
Amnesty International ranked Saudi Arabia third in the world for the highest number of executions in 2019.
According to Reprieve, 392 people have been executed for non-violent crimes in the six years that King Salman and the powerful crown prince have ruled.
There was a significant drop in 2020 compared to an all-time high of 184 executions the year before. The drop resulted in part from a moratorium on death penalties for drug-related offenses.
But Abu Al-Kheir told the AP she's worried her brother could still face execution.
"They said they have stopped the death (from) beheading since almost one year. But there is nobody who knows what they are doing (inside the prison)," she said.
Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been accused of "sports-washing" their human rights records by using high-profile sporting events to present a favorable image.
Qatar hosts the World Cup next year. Two years ago, boxer Anthony Joshua left Saudi Arabia around $70 million richer after winning in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia came under scrutiny in October after buying English Premier League club Newcastle.
Human Rights Watch launched a campaign late last year to counter what it says has been an effort by the Saudi government to spend billions of dollars hosting major events as " a deliberate strategy to deflect from the country's image as a pervasive human rights violator."
Heba Morayef, Amnesty International's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said glamorous events must not deflect from human rights.
"The Saudi Arabian authorities have invested heavily in PR stunts to re-brand their image," Morayef said Thursday in a news release. "The Saudi Arabia authorities need to realize that the best PR comes from respecting human rights."
The AP sent an email to government authorities seeking clarification on the death penalty and human rights.
Abu Al-Kheir, meanwhile, also wrote to King Salman.
"I tried all the ways to help my brother, to save his life," she told The AP. "I always give him hope, to see his kids and wife."
Hamilton has been a loud voice for human rights.
In July, he and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel spoke out against the Hungarian government's planned LGBT law referendum.
Hamilton had a rainbow on his Mercedes helmet in Qatar for the LGBTQ+ community. Two years ago, singer Nicki Minaj pulled out of a concert in Saudi Arabia to support women's rights and gay rights.
In Saudi Arabia, same-sex relationships are criminalized and can result in flogging or death sentences. Discrimination and persecution are common but it's rare to see individuals prosecuted.
Hamilton addressed the issue in his news conference Thursday
"If everyone's wants to take the time to go and read what the law is for the LGBTQ + community, it is pretty terrifying," Hamilton said.
"Do I feel comfortable (racing) here? I will say I do. But it's not my choice to be here, the sport has taken the choice to be here," Hamilton said. "There's a lot of change that needs to happen and I think our sport needs to do more."
------
More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP--Sports
10:59ET 02-12-21
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.