At least nine young men in Saudi Arabia are at risk of execution for alleged crimes committed as minors, in total contradiction with official claims to have ended this violation of international human rights law. Due to lack of transparency, the number of individuals on death row for offences committed as minors may be even higher.
All sentences followed unfair trials, allegedly based on confessions obtained under torture. Human Rights organizations report that minors were psychologically and physically abused following their arrests, including through beatings, drowning, electrocution, and solitary confinement.
Yousef al-Manasef, one of the then minors on death row, revealed: “Everything I said was at the dictation of the investigation team and under torture.” Eight of the young men were convicted under the draconian Counter-Terrorism Law, including for some acts protected by the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly such as participating in protests and attending funerals.
Since 2015, the annual execution rate in Saudi Arabia has increased by 82%. In 2022 alone, 196 individuals were executed, the highest annual figure in recent Saudi history, at least 172 were executed in 2023 and more than 200 were executed in 2024 so far, the highest figure in recent Saudi history. Other individuals are currently at risk of execution on charges relating to freedom of expression, including peaceful social media activity, as the death penalty continues to be weaponised as a tool for silencing dissent.
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