Saudi Arabia is moving toward the imminent execution of Youssef al-Manasif, a young man sentenced to death for attending protests and funerals when he was aged 15 to 17, according to human rights organizations and reporting by The Guardian. The case highlights a widening gap between the kingdom’s proclaimed legal reforms and its actual capital punishment practices involving juvenile defendants.
Youssef al-Manasif was arrested in 2017.
Legal Proceedings and Torture Allegations
The charity Reprieve stated that al-Manasif endured torture and coercion to extract a false confession following his arrest. He met his state-appointed defense counsel for the first time in 2022, five years after authorities initially detained him.
Chair @DrMahmood40: “Youssef al-Manasif faces imminent execution after the Saudi Supreme Court secretly, and egregiously, upheld his death penalty. He was just a minor who was tortured into “confessing” to unjust charges after protesting the govts discrimination against Shia.” pic.twitter.com/PN6M0d8MQG
Al-Manasif’s family has not spoken in public regarding the legal proceedings. Duaa Dhainy, a consultant for Reprieve and the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, told The Guardian that relatives could face harassment or arrest if they do so, leaving them with no recourse but to wait.
The Saudi supreme court has reportedly upheld the death sentence, which was likely to be his last hope of avoiding execution. Independent human rights experts associated with the United Nations previously expressed alarm over the case, urging the kingdom to halt planned executions for offenses committed under the age of 18.
Shifting Royal Decrees and Execution Records
In 2020, Saudi Arabia issued a royal decree intended to abolish the death penalty for individuals who committed crimes as minors, stating that individuals would not be sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were minors. However, rights groups note that the government has continued to uphold capital sentences in cases involving juvenile defendants.
In April, authorities executed Ali al-Subaiti alongside his uncle, Mustafa al-Subaiti, for non-lethal “terrorist” offenses committed when Ali al-Subaiti was 12 years old, according to The Guardian and The Insight International. Reprieve documented that at least 17 individuals who were children at the time of their alleged offenses have been executed in the country since 2015.
| Case / Metric | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Youssef al-Manasif Arrest | Detained in 2017 for protest and funeral attendance as a minor. | The Guardian / The Insight International |
| Legal Representation | First met state-appointed lawyer in 2022 after torture allegations. | Reprieve |
| Juvenile Executions | At least 17 individuals executed since 2015 for crimes committed as minors. | Reprieve |
| Annual Executions | 356 people put to death last year, a modern-era record. | Reprieve |
Under the rule of Mohammed bin Salman, the country has recorded a sharp increase in overall capital punishment. Last year, Saudi Arabia put 356 people to death, marking a modern-era record, though the majority of those executions involved foreign nationals convicted of non-violent drug offenses.
Human Rights Watch characterized the impending execution of al-Manasif for non-violent crimes committed during his youth as an unconscionable new low. With the supreme court upholding the ruling, legal advocates state that domestic options are exhausted.
