UN experts urge Saudi Arabia to halt executions of minors

A group of United Nations experts has called on Saudi authorities to immediately halt executions of individuals convicted of offences committed when they were under 18, following the execution of Jalal al-Labbad on 21 August, despite repeated appeals to stop the sentence.

The experts expressed deep dismay at the execution being carried out without prior notification to his family, who reportedly learned of his death only through social media. They urged the authorities to immediately return al-Labbad’s body to his relatives and permit an independent medico-legal examination.

They stressed that executing persons for crimes committed as minors is prohibited under international law and constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of life. The experts highlighted the imminent risk of execution facing Abdullah al-Derazi (whose sentence has reportedly been approved by the Supreme Court and awaits the King’s signature), Yusuf al-Manasif (whose death sentence has been confirmed by the Specialised Criminal Court), Jawad Abdullah Qureiris, and Hassan Zaki al-Faraj. They noted that all four were children at the time of the alleged offences and that their trials were marred by serious fair-trial violations, including reliance on confessions allegedly extracted under torture.

The experts urged Saudi Arabia, as a State party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to fully comply with article 37(a), which prohibits the death penalty for offences committed by persons under 18, and to ensure retrials that meet international fair-trial standards.

For its part, Sanad Human Rights Organization renewed its call on Saudi authorities to respect their international obligations, immediately halt all executions of minors, end politically motivated executions, and guarantee fair trials free from torture and other violations, while safeguarding the right to life.