Anthony Joshua Urged To Speak Out On Human Rights Abuses In Saudi Arabia Anthony Joshua

The Guardian can reveal that Joshua was recently sent a letter by Yasser al-Khayat, whose brother Mustafa was killed in the largest mass execution in Saudi history, asking him to follow the example of Muhammad Ali and Lewis Hamilton in defending freedom and human rights in the build-up to the world title fight taking place in Jeddah on Saturday. “My brother was executed by the Saudi authorities for daring to demand basic human rights that you enjoy in the UK,” the letter to Joshua says. “He was one of 81 men killed in the largest mass execution in the country’s history. More than half of them, including Mustafa, were executed for taking part in pro-democracy demonstrations. “Saudi Arabia executed him secretly and they didn’t notify us. We didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to him and his body hasn’t even been returned to our family for a proper burial. Our community is in mourning and our people live in fear.” The issue of human rights in the kingdom was highlighted again last week when Salma al-Shehab, a PhD student at the University of Leeds, was sentenced to 34 years in prison for tweeting her support for women’s rights activists. The sentence was condemned as “outrageous” by Amnesty International. In his letter Khayat reminds Joshua that speaking up can make a real difference. “Lewis Hamilton shows that sports figures can go to Saudi Arabia to compete and also show solidarity with its people,” the letter said. “The Saudi authorities are using events like your boxing match to distract from their crackdown. If the fight takes place without putting human rights on the line, it sends the message to the rulers of Saudi Arabia that they can kill without consequence. “When Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in Zaire in 1974 – the ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ – he showed his solidarity with the people of the country and became their champion. You can be the defender of the Saudi people, recognizing their pain and demanding that their rights be respected by the regime.” A spokesman for Joshua pledged to investigate Al-Khayat’s case. “Anthony takes his responsibility as a global sporting figure very seriously and does not condone any form of human rights abuse,” he told the Guardian. “He and his management are grateful to have been made aware of this particular situation and will take steps to look into this further after his match on Saturday night.” The non-governmental organization Reprieve, which helps people in Saudi Arabia facing the death penalty for child crimes, non-violent offenses or charges related to their participation in pro-democracy protests, has also offered to meet Joshua when he returns to the UK Kingdom. “International pressure on Saudi Arabia can make a difference,” he said, pointing to a royal decree in 2020 that was supposed to abolish the death penalty for minors. Jeed Basyouni, head of Reprieve’s Middle East and North Africa project, added: “Mohammed bin Salman is trying to use big sporting events like this to whitewash his bloody regime. Anthony Joshua can change that by using his visit to speak out about human rights to help save lives.” The Guardian has approached Saudi authorities for comment.

title: “Anthony Joshua Urged To Speak Out On Human Rights Abuses In Saudi Arabia Anthony Joshua Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-31” author: “Barbara Garcia”

The Guardian can reveal that Joshua was recently sent a letter by Yasser al-Khayat, whose brother Mustafa was killed in the largest mass execution in Saudi history, asking him to follow the example of Muhammad Ali and Lewis Hamilton in defending freedom and human rights in the build-up to the world title fight taking place in Jeddah on Saturday. “My brother was executed by the Saudi authorities for daring to demand basic human rights that you enjoy in the UK,” the letter to Joshua says. “He was one of 81 men killed in the largest mass execution in the country’s history. More than half of them, including Mustafa, were executed for taking part in pro-democracy demonstrations. “Saudi Arabia executed him secretly and they didn’t notify us. We didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to him and his body hasn’t even been returned to our family for a proper burial. Our community is in mourning and our people live in fear.” The issue of human rights in the kingdom was highlighted again last week when Salma al-Shehab, a PhD student at the University of Leeds, was sentenced to 34 years in prison for tweeting her support for women’s rights activists. The sentence was condemned as “outrageous” by Amnesty International. In his letter Khayat reminds Joshua that speaking up can make a real difference. “Lewis Hamilton shows that sports figures can go to Saudi Arabia to compete and also show solidarity with its people,” the letter said. “The Saudi authorities are using events like your boxing match to distract from their crackdown. If the fight takes place without putting human rights on the line, it sends the message to the rulers of Saudi Arabia that they can kill without consequence. “When Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in Zaire in 1974 – the ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ – he showed his solidarity with the people of the country and became their champion. You can be the defender of the Saudi people, recognizing their pain and demanding that their rights be respected by the regime.” A spokesman for Joshua pledged to investigate Al-Khayat’s case. “Anthony takes his responsibility as a global sporting figure very seriously and does not condone any form of human rights abuse,” he told the Guardian. “He and his management are grateful to have been made aware of this particular situation and will take steps to look into this further after his match on Saturday night.” The non-governmental organization Reprieve, which helps people in Saudi Arabia facing the death penalty for child crimes, non-violent offenses or charges related to their participation in pro-democracy protests, has also offered to meet Joshua when he returns to the UK Kingdom. “International pressure on Saudi Arabia can make a difference,” he said, pointing to a royal decree in 2020 that was supposed to abolish the death penalty for minors. Jeed Basyouni, head of Reprieve’s Middle East and North Africa project, added: “Mohammed bin Salman is trying to use big sporting events like this to whitewash his bloody regime. Anthony Joshua can change that by using his visit to speak out about human rights to help save lives.” The Guardian has approached Saudi authorities for comment.

title: “Anthony Joshua Urged To Speak Out On Human Rights Abuses In Saudi Arabia Anthony Joshua Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-12” author: “Jeanette Harris”

The Guardian can reveal that Joshua was recently sent a letter by Yasser al-Khayat, whose brother Mustafa was killed in the largest mass execution in Saudi history, asking him to follow the example of Muhammad Ali and Lewis Hamilton in defending freedom and human rights in the build-up to the world title fight taking place in Jeddah on Saturday. “My brother was executed by the Saudi authorities for daring to demand basic human rights that you enjoy in the UK,” the letter to Joshua says. “He was one of 81 men killed in the largest mass execution in the country’s history. More than half of them, including Mustafa, were executed for taking part in pro-democracy demonstrations. “Saudi Arabia executed him secretly and they didn’t notify us. We didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to him and his body hasn’t even been returned to our family for a proper burial. Our community is in mourning and our people live in fear.” The issue of human rights in the kingdom was highlighted again last week when Salma al-Shehab, a PhD student at the University of Leeds, was sentenced to 34 years in prison for tweeting her support for women’s rights activists. The sentence was condemned as “outrageous” by Amnesty International. In his letter Khayat reminds Joshua that speaking up can make a real difference. “Lewis Hamilton shows that sports figures can go to Saudi Arabia to compete and also show solidarity with its people,” the letter said. “The Saudi authorities are using events like your boxing match to distract from their crackdown. If the fight takes place without putting human rights on the line, it sends the message to the rulers of Saudi Arabia that they can kill without consequence. “When Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in Zaire in 1974 – the ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ – he showed his solidarity with the people of the country and became their champion. You can be the defender of the Saudi people, recognizing their pain and demanding that their rights be respected by the regime.” A spokesman for Joshua pledged to investigate Al-Khayat’s case. “Anthony takes his responsibility as a global sporting figure very seriously and does not condone any form of human rights abuse,” he told the Guardian. “He and his management are grateful to have been made aware of this particular situation and will take steps to look into this further after his match on Saturday night.” The non-governmental organization Reprieve, which helps people in Saudi Arabia facing the death penalty for child crimes, non-violent offenses or charges related to their participation in pro-democracy protests, has also offered to meet Joshua when he returns to the UK Kingdom. “International pressure on Saudi Arabia can make a difference,” he said, pointing to a royal decree in 2020 that was supposed to abolish the death penalty for minors. Jeed Basyouni, head of Reprieve’s Middle East and North Africa project, added: “Mohammed bin Salman is trying to use big sporting events like this to whitewash his bloody regime. Anthony Joshua can change that by using his visit to speak out about human rights to help save lives.” The Guardian has approached Saudi authorities for comment.

title: “Anthony Joshua Urged To Speak Out On Human Rights Abuses In Saudi Arabia Anthony Joshua Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-06” author: “Stephanie Kane”

The Guardian can reveal that Joshua was recently sent a letter by Yasser al-Khayat, whose brother Mustafa was killed in the largest mass execution in Saudi history, asking him to follow the example of Muhammad Ali and Lewis Hamilton in defending freedom and human rights in the build-up to the world title fight taking place in Jeddah on Saturday. “My brother was executed by the Saudi authorities for daring to demand basic human rights that you enjoy in the UK,” the letter to Joshua says. “He was one of 81 men killed in the largest mass execution in the country’s history. More than half of them, including Mustafa, were executed for taking part in pro-democracy demonstrations. “Saudi Arabia executed him secretly and they didn’t notify us. We didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to him and his body hasn’t even been returned to our family for a proper burial. Our community is in mourning and our people live in fear.” The issue of human rights in the kingdom was highlighted again last week when Salma al-Shehab, a PhD student at the University of Leeds, was sentenced to 34 years in prison for tweeting her support for women’s rights activists. The sentence was condemned as “outrageous” by Amnesty International. In his letter Khayat reminds Joshua that speaking up can make a real difference. “Lewis Hamilton shows that sports figures can go to Saudi Arabia to compete and also show solidarity with its people,” the letter said. “The Saudi authorities are using events like your boxing match to distract from their crackdown. If the fight takes place without putting human rights on the line, it sends the message to the rulers of Saudi Arabia that they can kill without consequence. “When Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in Zaire in 1974 – the ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ – he showed his solidarity with the people of the country and became their champion. You can be the defender of the Saudi people, recognizing their pain and demanding that their rights be respected by the regime.” A spokesman for Joshua pledged to investigate Al-Khayat’s case. “Anthony takes his responsibility as a global sporting figure very seriously and does not condone any form of human rights abuse,” he told the Guardian. “He and his management are grateful to have been made aware of this particular situation and will take steps to look into this further after his match on Saturday night.” The non-governmental organization Reprieve, which helps people in Saudi Arabia facing the death penalty for child crimes, non-violent offenses or charges related to their participation in pro-democracy protests, has also offered to meet Joshua when he returns to the UK Kingdom. “International pressure on Saudi Arabia can make a difference,” he said, pointing to a royal decree in 2020 that was supposed to abolish the death penalty for minors. Jeed Basyouni, head of Reprieve’s Middle East and North Africa project, added: “Mohammed bin Salman is trying to use big sporting events like this to whitewash his bloody regime. Anthony Joshua can change that by using his visit to speak out about human rights to help save lives.” The Guardian has approached Saudi authorities for comment.