Mujtaba al-Sweikat was one of 37 people beheaded in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom announced Tuesday.
The Detroit Free Press reports that al-Sweikat was planning on attending Western Michigan University. He was 17 when he was detained at King Fahd International Airport in 2012 because earlier that year he attended a pro-democracy rally during the Arab Spring.
The university confirmed in 2017 that he had been accepted as a student.
The Saudi Press Agency released the list of Saudi citizens who had been executed on Tuesday, including al-Sweikat. The Associated Press said it was the largest number of executions in a single day in Saudi Arabia since Jan. 2, 2016 when the kingdom executed 47 people.
The Free Press said that al-Sweikat was charged with armed disobedience against the king as well as attacking and shooting security forces, civilians and passersby. He was also accused of participating in a terrorist cell.
The Associated Press reports that the beheadings were for alleged terrorism-related crimes, but they are likely to stoke further regional and sectarian tensions between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
In 2017, Western Michigan University faculty supported a campus protest that condemned the imminent execution of al-Sweikat. "We are horrified and outraged by the grotesque human rights violations that his arrest, imprisonment, and especially his imminent execution constitute. A citizen of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Al-Sweikat was admitted to Western Michigan University to begin classes in the fall of 2013 but has never attended the university," a July 2017 post on the faculty blog said.
Amnesty International also confirmed the majority of those executed were Shiite men. The rights group said they were convicted "after sham trials" that relied on confessions extracted through torture.
The American Federation of Teachers issued a statement Tuesday after learning about al-Sweikat's death. The statement read:
“Saudi Arabia’s sickening beheading of a young student, after he was tortured and held in solitary confinement for years, is a despicable violation of international law and basic humanity. Condemned at 17, Mujtaba al-Sweikat was planning to attend Western Michigan University when he was arrested after attending a peaceful protest rally. Today, we discover this brave young man has been executed, along with more than 30 others, in a ghastly display of state brutality.
“If it was not already clear, Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has moved to the top tier of the bloodiest regimes in world history. We demand the U.S. government immediately condemn, in every way and with every means, this disgusting and outrageous crime.”
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Detroit) also issued a statement about the beheading.
“The violent killing of Mutjaba al-Sweikat is disturbing. Mutjaba had a bright future ahead of him and Michigan was prepared to welcome him as a student. Instead, he faced inhumane torture and pain ultimately leading to his execution. Every human, regardless of where they may be in the world, should have the right to speak openly without fear of persecution or death. Right now, I stand in unity with Mutjaba’s family and friends. I will never stop speaking up for all who promote free speech and due process around the world.”
The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.
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