A man named Ali Mohammed al-Nimr is set to be crucified in Saudi Arabia for his participation in anti-government protests, which he engaged in back in 2012, when he was 17 years old.

Aside from the crime of demonstration, al-Nimr has also been accused of illegally possessing firearms.

Many suspect that the now-21-year-old is being targeted with such harsh punishment due to his familial ties. His uncle is Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a well known religious leader and human rights activist, who, like his nephew, was sentenced to death in 2014. The International Business Times reports that Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was jailed and sentenced to death for speeches he made against Saudi Arabia's ruling House of Saud dynasty.

The Saudi government has recently dismissed Al-Nimr’s final appeal, which was held in secret. There are no more legal routes of objection to his impending crucifixion.

The Middle East Monitor reports that Maya Foa, the director of the death penalty team at the human rights charity group Reprieve, has condemned the situation that the Saudi government has placed Al-Nimr under, saying, “No one should have to go through the ordeal Ali has suffered – torture, forced ‘confession,’ and an unfair, secret trial process, resulting in a sentence of death by ‘crucifixion.’”

“Ali was a vulnerable child when he was arrested and this ordeal began,” said Foa, “His execution -– based apparently on the authorities’ dislike for his uncle, and his involvement in anti-government protests -– would violate international law and the most basic standards of decency. It must be stopped.”

Advocates for al-Nimr are now calling on the British government to pressure Saudi Arabia to block the execution. Amnesty International is asking concerned people to write in and request that Saudi authorities quash al-Nimr’s conviction, as well as his death sentence, and ensure that he receives a fair trial in line with international law and standards.