She had never heard of crucifixion before her son, then 19 years old, was sentenced in a Saudi court for crimes against religion. But any day now, Ali al-Nimr could be put to death by being beheaded before his corpse is publicly displayed.
Umm Bakr sits in her son’s bedroom, gazing at his photograph. On the floral bedspread, his possessions are neatly arrayed: a primary school photograph, a stringless guitar, a leather-bound Koran and a loudhailer used at anti-government demonstrations more than four years ago that led to his arrest.
“This is the last photograph we have of him,” she says of Ali at 17, the age when he was arrested, tortured and made to sign a confession admitting charges from teaching fellow protesters first