She said AIOn Monday, at least three young men were at imminent risk of execution in Saudi Arabia after an appeals court upheld their sentences between June and October this year.
In the wake of what it described as “extremely unfair trials”, the organization called on the Saudi authorities to commute their sentences, on the International Day Against the Death Penalty.
In February 2022, the Saudi Human Rights Commission told Amnesty International that the country had stopped executing individuals for “crimes committed by minors”, and said it had commuted all outstanding sentences in these cases.
Diana Samaan, Acting Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, said, “Sentencing people to death for crimes committed when they were under the age of 18 is a clear violation of international human rights law. The Saudi authorities have promised to end the use of the death penalty in such cases, However, the harsh reality is that these young men face imminent death.”
“The king should not endorse these death sentences, immediately halt all imminent executions, and order retrials that must be fully consistent with international fair trial standards, with no recourse to the death penalty,” she added.
Between June and October, the Specialized Criminal Court and another criminal court upheld the death sentence of three young men. An appeals court in Saudi Arabia upheld the death sentence against Jalal Labbad, one of three youths facing imminent execution, on October 4. The trial of two others continues. before the Specialized Criminal Court in which the prosecution is seeking the death penalty. All five individuals were juveniles between the ages of 14 and 18 at the time of their alleged crimes.
“Four out of five members of the group are from the minority Shiite community. They have been convicted or charged with terrorism-related charges for participating in anti-government protests or attending funerals for those killed by security forces. The authorities have repeatedly sentenced members of their community to death in pursuit of To silence dissent in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
Jalal Labbad was originally sentenced to death on August 1, 2022 for alleged crimes that occurred when he was 16 and 17 years old. He was held in pretrial detention for nearly two years, during which he was subjected to psychological and physical torture, including sleep deprivation, over a period of three weeks.
The Specialized Criminal Court convicted him on a wide range of charges, including chanting slogans insulting state officials while attending funerals for those killed by security forces, “armed break with the regime” alleging that he kidnapped and murdered a judge, and shooting and throwing Molotov cocktails at security officials. .
In August 2022, the Court of Appeal of the Specialized Criminal Court upheld the death sentence handed down to Abdullah Al-Derazi, who was arrested at the age of 16. During his trial proceedings, he requested an independent medical evaluation of the health setbacks he had suffered as a result of torture. The court did not grant his request.
Abdullah Al-Hwaiti, who was arrested in May 2017, when he was aged 14, for armed robbery and murder of a security officer, is one of those at risk of imminent execution. After his retrial by order of the Supreme Court in 2021, the Criminal Court in Tabuk reconfirmed his death sentence on March 2, 2022. He refused to sign his statement, and told the court: “All of the “confession” is incorrect and it was issued by me under the influence of duress, as I was subjected to of beatings and threats… They asked me to change my statements to match those of the rest of the accused.”
AndOn August 22, the Times reported: Saudi Arabia has resumed death sentences for teenagers for protesting against the regime, despite previous promises to end the practice.
Human rights monitors recorded seven cases in which the death penalty was claimed, issued, or confirmed on appeal for crimes committed by minors.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who came to power pledging to change the country’s image, ordered a halt to its use on minors two years ago. The sentences of three young men were reduced, after international appeals, including by British politicians, to ten years.
On July 31, Labbad was convicted and sentenced to death on a range of charges, including protesting. He was 21 years old when he was arrested in 2017, but he was accused of participating in demonstrations and protests years earlier.
On August 8, the Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal upheld a death sentence against Al-Derazi, who was 19 years old when he was arrested in 2014. He was accused of participating in demonstrations, marches and funerals for victims, distributing water during demonstrations, participating in the formation of a terrorist cell and assaulting public property. Prosecutors are calling for the death penalty for five other youths for similar crimes.
A human rights organization announced in August that the number of people executed by Saudi Arabia in the first six months of 2022 is nearly double the number of those executed in 2021, despite the Saudi Crown Prince’s “promises” to reduce the death penalty.
The European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) said that the kingdom executed 120 people in the first six months of this year.
On March 15th, Amnesty International has documented Execution of 81 men, including Saudi and non-Saudi citizens. Of those executed, 41 belonged to the Shiite minority. Since then, the authorities have continued to issue death sentences to men belonging to the Shi’a minority, including those who were under 18 at the time of the alleged crimes.