Poet Ibrahim Al-Huwaiti Faces Execution Risk After Appeals Court Upholds Death Sentence

Saudi authorities continue to uphold the death sentence against poet Ibrahim Saleh Abu Khalil Al-Thuqayqi Al-Huwaiti, who has been detained since 2020 for opposing the forced displacement of members of the Huwaitat tribe from their ancestral lands for the NEOM project, placing his life at risk of execution at any time.

The Specialized Criminal Court sentenced Al-Huwaiti to death in October 2022. On 23 January 2023, the Specialized Criminal Appeals Court upheld the ruling following a trial marred by violations of his legal rights and the absence of fair trial guarantees.

Al-Huwaiti opposed the displacement of his tribe and, in 2020, joined a delegation of local residents that met with a government committee to discuss land ownership in the area. He is a cousin of Abdulrahim Al-Huwaiti, who was killed by Saudi forces inside his home in April 2020 after refusing to leave his land.

SANAD Human Rights Organization stated that Al-Huwaiti’s continued detention under a death sentence puts his life at risk and violates international human rights standards. It called on Saudi authorities to overturn the sentence and release him immediately and unconditionally.