Saudi Arabia executed 29-year-old Hassan Zaki al-Faraj without notice on October 17, 2026, for protests he allegedly joined at age 14. Reported by The Independent, the execution directly breaches the kingdom’s 2020 decree formally abolishing capital punishment for childhood offenses, casting intense scrutiny on Riyadh’s sweeping international reputation campaigns.
Faraj was executed in the Eastern Province alongside four other men convicted in the same case. Legal and human rights advocates point out that his death shatters official assurances given by the regime. The MENA Rights Group documented that while in custody, Faraj endured prolonged solitary confinement, severe torture, and total isolation from the outside world before his sentencing by the Specialised Criminal Court in November 2022.
The Rising Toll of Capital Punishment in the Kingdom
The latest executions highlight an escalating trend in Saudi sentencing. According to the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR), the kingdom carried out a record 345 executions in 2024, followed by a new high of 347 executions in 2025. Amnesty International noted that authorities had already put nearly 100 people to death earlier this year. Most of these capital sentences involved drug-related offenses that fail to meet the international legal threshold for “most serious crimes.”
Human Rights Watch senior Saudi Arabia researcher Joey Shea condemned the recent killings, stating that Faraj’s execution was unconscionable and compounded by torture-tainted evidence and systemic unfair trials. Human Rights Watch reported that similar tactics were deployed against other young defendants, including Ali al-Subaiti, who was executed on April 9, 2026, after facing trial for a demonstration he allegedly attended at age 12.
| Individual | Age at Alleged Offense | Year of Arrest | Current Status / Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hassan Zaki al-Faraj | 14 | 2017 | Executed on October 17, 2026 |
| Youssef al-Manasif | 15 | 2017 | Faces imminent execution |
| Ali al-Subaiti | 12 | Not specified | Executed on April 9, 2026 |
Youssef Al-Manasif Faces Execution After Death Sentence Upheld
Attention now shifts to Youssef al-Manasif, a 30-year-old facing imminent execution after the nation’s supreme court reportedly upheld his death sentence. Arrested in April 2017, Manasif was accused of participating in protests against the Saudi authorities’ treatment of the country’s Shia minority and funeral processions in 2011 and 2012 when he was 15 and 16 years old. Reprieve reported that Manasif was coerced into signing a false confession through torture and met a state-appointed lawyer only in 2022.
Jeed Basyouni, head of MENA death penalty projects at Reprieve, urged the British government and other international partners to intervene urgently. Basyouni noted that intense diplomatic pressure from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) successfully spared three child defendants in 2021, when their death sentences were commuted to 10 years in prison. Yet, rights groups remain critical of broader foreign policy engagements, pointing to historical trade-offs involving security co-operation and defense contracts.
As families in the Eastern Province endure nights of terror fearing further executions, the fundamental question is whether international partners will use their diplomatic relationships to halt the remaining childhood protest cases, or if economic and security ties will continue to override human rights commitments.
