The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has expressed its discontent with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s continued sentencing of five minors to death for charges that were brought against them for offenses committed when they were under the age of 18. These charges include participating in protests and attending funerals of individuals killed by the authorities.
In a statement issued on April 30, 2025, the independent experts of the Working Group voiced their deep concern regarding the ongoing trials of these individuals. They emphasized that carrying out the death penalty would constitute a violation of the state's obligations under international law and amount to an arbitrary execution, rendering it unlawful.
The Working Group had previously issued a legal opinion concerning the cases of Abdullah Al-Darazi, Jalal Al-Labbad, Yousef Al-Manasif, Jawad Qurays, and Hassan Zaki Al-Faraj. The Group concluded that their deprivation of liberty was arbitrary, lacking a sound legal basis. It called for their immediate release to prevent irreparable harm to their lives or personal safety.
The Working Group determined that the deprivation of liberty imposed on these five individuals stemmed from their exercise of their rights to freedom of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly, and association.
The statement underscored that the imposition of the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of release for offenses committed by individuals under the age of 18 is explicitly and unequivocally prohibited under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The experts noted that they had previously communicated with the Saudi government regarding the fairness of the trials, highlighting evidence of torture and ill-treatment, which constitute violations of fair trial rights. They clarified that coerced confessions undermine the integrity of judicial proceedings entirely, even if other evidence supports the verdict.
Additionally, the experts expressed grave concern over the pattern of persecution and the longstanding history of discrimination against the Shi’a religious minority in Saudi Arabia.
The experts concluded that the situation in Saudi Arabia is particularly alarming, given the sharp rise in executions, which have reached 98 since the beginning of 2025.