Execution Threat Looms Over Attallah Al-Howaiti… SANAD Calls for Overturning the Sentence and His Immediate Release

In April 2020, Saudi authorities arbitrarily arrested Attallah Mousa Mohammed Al-Howaiti for his opposition to the forced displacement of members of the Howaitat tribe, who were expelled from their lands to make way for the NEOM project.

Since his arrest, Al-Howaiti has undergone judicial proceedings before the Specialized Criminal Court, which on 2 October 2022 issued a death sentence against him, in a trial marred by numerous legal violations.

On 23 January 2023, the Specialized Criminal Court of Appeals upheld the death sentence, raising grave alarm as the execution could be carried out at any moment, especially given the sharp rise in executions in Saudi Arabia in recent years — including hundreds of politically motivated executions.

Attallah Al-Howaiti is the brother-in-law of Abdulrahim Al-Howaiti, who was killed by Saudi authorities in 2020 in his home for refusing to leave his land during the forced displacement campaign.

SANAD Human Rights Organization reiterates its call on Saudi authorities to immediately revoke the death sentence, release Attallah Al-Howaiti unconditionally, and end the ongoing pattern of abuses inflicted upon the Howaitat tribe.