Execution Carried Out Without Notice
Saudi Arabia executed 29-year-old Hassan Zaki al-Faraj without prior notice on October 17 for crimes he was alleged to have committed when he was just 14 years old, according to an Independent report. Faraj was executed alongside four other men from the Eastern Province convicted in the same case. Human rights organizations have condemned the action, pointing out that Faraj was penalized for taking part in protests concerning the kingdom’s Shia minority when he was a minor.
According to the Mirage News report, the execution has brought renewed scrutiny to the kingdom’s capital punishment practices. MENA Rights Group stated that while in custody, Faraj was subjected to severe acts of torture, held in solitary confinement for long periods, and denied communication with the outside world. The execution occurred despite Saudi Arabia formally announcing the abolition of the death penalty for crimes committed by minors in 2020.
Contradiction of Legal Reforms
The execution of al-Faraj has highlighted a stark contradiction between official government reforms and judicial practice. Rights groups report that executions for childhood offences continue under counterterrorism frameworks, alongside an escalating national execution total. The Independent noted that the kingdom carried out 347 executions last year, marking a new high following 345 executions in 2024, according to figures from the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR).
Jeed Basyouni, head of MENA death penalty projects at Reprieve, stated that the kingdom’s claim to have abolished capital punishment for childhood crimes was abandoned in practice. Activists warn that legal safeguards against childhood executions are being bypassed through counterterrorism charges and torture-tainted confessions obtained during prolonged detention.
Imminent Risks For Other Death Row Inmates
Other young men face imminent execution after their death sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court. Mirage News reported that the Supreme Court recently upheld the death sentence of Yousef al-Manasif, who was convicted of crimes allegedly committed when he was 15 and 16 years old during Arab Spring protests in Qatif. Manasif was arrested and charged in 2017 with terrorism-related offenses, participating in riotous gatherings, and stirring up sedition.
Reprieve stated that Manasif was tortured and coerced into signing a false confession, meeting his state-appointed lawyer only in 2022, five years after his arrest. Joey Shea, senior Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch, warned that al-Manasif is at serious risk of execution following the Supreme Court’s decision, describing the legal process as compounded by torture-tainted evidence and unfair trials.
International Diplomatic Pressure
Human rights organizations are urging international partners, including the British government, to intervene urgently to save the lives of remaining defendants on death row. The Independent noted that previous diplomatic intervention by the UK led to three child defendants being spared execution in 2021, when their death sentences were commuted to 10 years in prison. Activists argue that strong diplomatic pressure remains a vital mechanism to prevent further executions of individuals convicted for childhood actions.