SANAD Calls for Immediate Halt of Arbitrary Death Sentence Against Ali Al-Subaiti

In October 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court in Saudi Arabia issued a discretionary death sentence against Ali Hassan Al-Subaiti, who has been detained since 24 October 2017, when he was 18 years old, after being arrested while attempting to obtain a driving license. Since the moment of his arrest, he has been subjected to severe violations, including more than eight months in solitary confinement, brutal torture, and being forced to sign confessions that were later used against him, according to human rights sources.

Al-Subaiti’s trial began in December 2019, and the Public Prosecution charged him with concealing information about robberies, participating in protests and sit-ins, and joining a terrorist organization—even though some of the charges relate to events that occurred when he was no older than 12 years old. The court relied heavily on the torture-induced confessions as the basis for its ruling, the same sources report.

Al-Subaiti is among detainees at risk of execution at any moment, as the number of executions in Saudi Arabia this year has exceeded 320, including around 40 political executions.

SANAD Human Rights Organization calls for the immediate annulment of this arbitrary death sentence, the unconditional release of Ali Al-Subaiti, and a complete halt to political executions in Saudi Arabia.