Saudi Authorities Maintain Death Sentence Against Poet Ibrahim Al-Howaiti Amid Fears of Imminent Execution

Saudi authorities continue to uphold the death sentence issued against poet Ibrahim Saleh Abu Khalil Al-Taqeeqi Al-Howaiti, who has been detained since November 2020 for his opposition to the forced displacement imposed on members of the Howaitat tribe as part of the NEOM project. This comes amid growing fears that the sentence could be carried out at any moment, given the sharp rise in executions in the Kingdom in recent years.

The Specialized Criminal Court issued the death sentence against Al-Howaiti in October 2022, and the Specialized Criminal Court of Appeals upheld the sentence on 23 January 2023, following a trial marred by serious violations and the absence of fair trial guarantees.

Ibrahim Al-Howaiti is one of the most prominent voices rejecting forced displacement. He was part of a delegation of local residents that met with a government committee in 2020 to discuss land ownership in the region. He is also the cousin of Abdulrahim Al-Howaiti, who was killed in his home in 2020 after refusing to leave his land.

SANAD Human Rights Organization warns of the grave danger posed by Ibrahim’s continued detention under a death sentence, stressing that maintaining this ruling without overturning it constitutes a blatant violation of international human rights standards and leaves him at risk of execution at any moment.

The organization renews its call on Saudi authorities to immediately overturn the death sentence and release Ibrahim Al-Howaiti unconditionally, urging the international community to intervene urgently to pressure Saudi Arabia to save his life and put an end to the ongoing abuses faced by members of the Howaitat tribe.