The CBC and the Globe and Mail are reporting that Canadian citizen Mohamed Kohail, on death row in Saudi Arabia for allegedly causing the death of a schoolmate in 2007, is no longer sentenced to die.According to the reports, the Supreme Judicial Council, Saudi Arabia's highest court, has revoked the death penalty against Mohamed Kohail though not against his brother Sultan (who is being tried separately for his unclear role in the same incident) and not against a third defendant, a Jordanian citizen. It appears that Mohamed may simply be tried again by a newly constituted lower court.
It is unclear how this new ruling is different from a similar one in February of last year, when the Supreme Judicial Council in essence revoked the death penalty against Mohamed by returning the case to the lower court for further review.
Then as now, the ruling apparently in Mohamed's favour is not tantamount to clemency. As the Tuque Souq has commented, only King Abdullah (perhaps under diplomatic pressure) or the family of the victim (perhaps after a restitution payment of several million dollars) can grant clemency.
The guilt or innoncence of Mohamed Kohail under the arm of Saudi jurisprudence has not changed, either. Therefore all we know for sure is that Mohamed Kohail won't die today.
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