Saudi Arabia executes Hasan al-Faraj over alleged crimes committed at age 14, rights groups condemn it

The Saudi Arabian government on 17 October executed a young man named Hasan Zaki al-Faraj. Some of the alleged crimes for which he was put to death were committed when he was only 14. The action has caused a stir around the world. International human rights organisations have strongly condemned it and raised serious questions about the transparency of the Saudi justice system.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Saudi authorities detained Hasan al-Faraj on 27 November 2017. He was accused of taking part in a protest against alleged discrimination against the Shia minority community. He was also charged with several serious offences under counterterrorism laws.

After legal proceedings lasting about five years, he was sentenced to death on 3 November 2022. The sentence was finally carried out on 17 October.

Joe Stork's colleague, Human Rights Watch senior researcher Joey Shea, has directly questioned the fairness of the case. International organisations have made a serious allegation that Saudi officials subjected al-Faraj to extremely inhuman torture during interrogation and forced him to confess. Legal experts around the world say that when this is done to a minor or an adolescent, it is a blatant violation of international law and human rights.

The European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights has also been monitoring the case. It claims that in Saudi Arabia, many young men who took part in political or social protests are being sentenced directly to death for acts committed as adolescents. These cases are drawing sharp international criticism of the Saudi administration.

Al-Faraj is not an isolated case. According to HRW, Saudi Arabia's highest court has upheld the death sentence of another young man, Yusuf al-Manasif, who is also accused of crimes committed at the age of 15 to 16. At least three more people have been sentenced to death for alleged crimes committed in childhood, and the sentences could be carried out at any time.

Earlier, on 14 October, two Bangladeshi nationals, Nazrul Islam and Sweety Akhter, were executed in Saudi Arabia. The Bangladesh government then sought further clarification from the Saudi authorities. Conflicting information is emerging about the charges against the two, and no independent investigation has been held. Successive death sentences have greatly heightened global concern about the Saudi justice system.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, imposing the death penalty or life imprisonment for any crime committed before the age of 18 is wholly illegal. The European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights alleges that Saudi Arabia promised in 2020 to end the death penalty for minors, but is still executing young men for acts committed while they were minors, by misusing counterterrorism laws.