Saudi Arabia Executes Citizen for Offences Committed as a Minor.
Saudi Arabia executed Hassan Zaki al-Faraj on 17 October 2026 for offences allegedly committed when he was 14 years old. The execution, announced by the Ministry of Interior, has renewed concerns over the use of capital punishment against individuals convicted of crimes committed while they were children. The case also highlights the limitations of Saudi Arabia’s safeguards against juvenile executions, particularly in cases prosecuted under counterterrorism legislation. His family had not been notified of the execution in advance, and the authorities were withholding his remains, causing further anguish to his relatives.
Al-Faraj was arrested on 27 November 2017 and sentenced to death by the Specialized Criminal Court on 3 November 2022. The Court was established in 2008 to try terrorism-related cases but has also been used to prosecute individuals for acts of peaceful dissent.
The charges included broad counterterrorism offences relating to his alleged development of friendships with other wanted individuals. His defence alleged that he had been tortured and forced to sign a confession that was subsequently used in his conviction, and court documents show that he spent six months in solitary confinement during his multi-year pretrial detention. In November 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found his detention arbitrary. More broadly, human rights organisations have repeatedly raised concerns about the treatment of defendants prosecuted in connection with political dissent.
The case has renewed scrutiny of the death sentences imposed on individuals for alleged offences committed as children, highlighting the distinction between past executions and individuals currently at risk of execution. Human rights groups note that Saudi Arabia previously executed Jalal Labbad on 21 August 2025, an action condemned in a news release by Amnesty International, as well as Ali al-Subaiti on 9 April 2026 for alleged offences including participation in a demonstration when he was 12 years old.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has reportedly upheld the death sentence of Yousef al-Manasif, who was convicted of offences allegedly committed when he was 15 and 16. His case involved participation in protests against the treatment of the country’s Shia minority and attendance at funeral processions in the Eastern Province. At least three other men convicted of alleged offences committed as children remain on death row amid allegations of torture, coerced confessions and prolonged solitary confinement. On 23 October 2026, UN experts condemned al-Faraj’s execution, warned of the risk of imminent execution for al-Manasif and Mohammad Labbad, and raised concerns about the fairness of the proceedings.
The execution raises serious questions about compliance with international human rights standards. Article 37(a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Saudi Arabia is a party, explicitly prohibits capital punishment for offences committed by persons under 18.
The 2018 Juvenile Law and a 2020 royal decree introduced protections against the death penalty for juvenile offenders. These protections do not extend to cases prosecuted under the 2017 counterterrorism law. Although the exact scope and domestic application of these legal exceptions remain subject to contestation, this exclusion limits the reach of juvenile protections, leaving some juvenile offenders exposed to the death penalty. Al-Faraj’s execution underscores the critical need to ensure that juvenile justice protections are applied consistently across all national security cases to achieve full compliance with international human rights obligations.
written by Ilenia Perreca
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