UN Experts Urge Saudi Arabia to Halt Child Offender Executions and Uphold Rights

Al-Labbad’s execution was carried out despite repeated appeals from UN experts warning Saudi authorities of serious legal and human rights violations in his case.

 

A group of United Nations human rights experts has issued an urgent appeal to Saudi Arabia to immediately halt the planned and ongoing executions of individuals convicted of crimes allegedly committed when they were under 18 years of age. The call follows the execution of Jalal al-Labbad on 21 August 2025, a case that has drawn widespread condemnation from international human rights advocates.

Execution Sparks Global Concern

Al-Labbad’s execution was carried out despite repeated appeals from UN experts warning Saudi authorities of serious legal and human rights violations in his case. Particularly troubling, according to the experts, was the secrecy surrounding the execution. His family was not informed of the date in advance and reportedly discovered the news of his death through social media.

“It is particularly disturbing that his family was not informed of the execution date and reportedly learned of his death through social media,” the experts said in a joint statement. They also demanded that Saudi authorities return his body to his relatives and allow an independent medico-legal examination.

Minors at Risk of Imminent Execution

The experts expressed grave concern for four other individuals — Abdullah al-Derazi, Yusuf al-Manasif, Jawad Abdullah Qureiris, and Hassan Zaki al-Faraj — all of whom face the death penalty for offences allegedly committed when they were still children.

According to reports:

• Abdullah al-Derazi’s death sentence has already been upheld by the Supreme Court and awaits the King’s final approval.

• Yusuf al-Manasif’s death sentence has been confirmed by the Specialised Criminal Court.

• Qureiris and al-Faraj also remain at risk amid allegations of coerced confessions and unfair trial procedures.

UN experts highlighted that these cases were further complicated by allegations of arbitrary detention, torture, and coerced confessions, none of which were impartially investigated despite being repeatedly raised by international bodies.

International Law and Saudi Arabia’s Obligations

Under international human rights law, the execution of persons convicted of offences committed as minors is strictly prohibited. Saudi Arabia is a State party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which explicitly bans capital punishment for crimes committed under the age of 18.

The experts recalled Article 37(a) of the CRC, which obliges signatories to refrain from executing child offenders under any circumstances. They also emphasized that death sentences handed down after unfair trials, discriminatory prosecutions, or the use of torture-tainted evidence violate fundamental human rights protections, including those enshrined in the Convention against Torture.

Concerns Over Terrorism-Related Charges

The statement further criticized the use of Saudi Arabia’s counter-terrorism laws to impose death sentences. UN experts noted that these laws remain incompatible with international standards and are often applied in ways that silence dissent, target minorities, and criminalize legitimate expression or protest activity.

Call for Immediate Action

“Saudi authorities should immediately halt any planned executions in these and similar cases, commute all death sentences imposed for offences committed by children, and ensure retrials, where necessary, that fully meet international fair-trial standards,” the experts said.

They stressed that:

• Families must be notified in advance of executions.

• The remains of executed individuals must be returned promptly to relatives.

• Independent forensic examinations should be permitted in line with international norms.

Rising Executions in 2025

UN experts also expressed alarm at the reported increase in executions carried out by Saudi Arabia in 2025. They reminded authorities that there is no credible evidence proving that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than other forms of punishment.

In light of this, they urged Riyadh to establish a moratorium on executions with a long-term goal of abolishing the death penalty altogether.

Protecting the Right to Life

The experts concluded by reiterating their call for Saudi Arabia to protect the right to life of those currently on death row for offences committed as minors and to prevent further arbitrary executions.

Their statement adds to mounting international pressure on Riyadh to reform its use of capital punishment and uphold its obligations under international treaties that safeguard human rights, particularly those of vulnerable populations such as children.