Case No Country Mandate(s) Summary of the allegation transmitted Reply USA 11/2013 Summary 31/07/2013 United States of executions; UA America 13/08/2013 Alleged imposition of the death penalty on an individual with psychosocial disabilities. According to the information received, Mr John Ferguson, a 65 year old man, was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1978. Since he has been on death row, prison doctors have reportedly continually assessed him as “suffering from chronic schizophrenia, paranoid type”. In 2012, the execution of Mr Ferguson was stayed while litigation ensued on the question of his competence. On 21 May 2013, a panel of three judges at the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit upheld the finding of the Florida courts that Mr Ferguson “is aware that the State is intending to execute him and that he will physically die as a result of the execution”. However, according to Mr Ferguson’s lawyers, he lacks a rational understanding of the reason for and reality of the punishment. At the time of transmission of this communication, Mr Ferguson was scheduled to be executed on 5 August 2013. On 25 July 2013, his lawyers filed a petition before the US Supreme Court seeking a stay of execution. SAU 7/2013 15/08/2013 Saudi Arabia JAL 14/01/2014 Alleged torture during interrogation to coerce a confession used to incriminate and substantiate a conviction for participating in terrorist activities. According to the information received, on 11 June 2003, Mr Ahmed Abu Ali was arrested in Medina, Saudi Arabia, tortured in prison until he confessed to being a member of an Al-Qaeda cell. He was then transferred to Riyadh where he was allegedly subjected to solitary confinement, and sleep deprivation. Finally, it is reported that Mr Ali was transferred to the United States where the confessions he made during the interrogation processes in Saudi Arabia were used against him as a basis for a conviction for material support to the Al Qaeda network. Terrorism; Torture; A/HRC/26/21 78 Date Type