On June 24, 2024, the Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the execution of Abdullah bin Ali Al-Muhaishi in the Eastern Province, under a charge of murder with Haraba Penalty, bringing the total number of executions since the beginning of 2024 to 84.
According to the Ministry's statement, Al-Muhaishi faced charges of "joining a terrorist organization, shooting at security checkpoints and personnel, financing terrorism and terrorist acts, harboring terrorist elements in his home after they committed their criminal acts, providing support to them, and possessing weapons and ammunition to carry out those acts."
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights had previously noted Al-Muhaishi's name among 70 cases where detainees faced death sentences, but they were unable to document or follow the case due to the lack of transparency in official dealings and intimidation practiced by the Saudi government on families and organizations. Despite this, Saudi Arabia's approach suggests serious violations including torture and mistreatment, with reports confirming his execution was conducted secretly without his family's knowledge. Previously, Saudi Arabia executed Abdullah's brother Hussein and his cousin Zakaria Hassan Al-Muhaishi last year in June on similar charges related to involvement in a terrorist cell and shooting incidents.
Regarding the charges, as per the official statement, the charges against Al-Muhaishi matched those in dozens of cases where young men were executed in Saudi Arabia for their involvement in activities during the country's unrest, with his case being the one where the death penalty for murder was applied unlike others who received corporal punishment sentences.
Since the beginning of 2024, ESOHR has observed attempts by the Saudi government to manipulate official data in its execution records. This was evident in the concealment of the type of verdict in 19 executions. Most of these sentences were issued by the Specialized Criminal Court dealing with terrorism cases, where the convicted faced charges ranging from cover-up to endorsing terrorist activities and gunfire, typically resulting in capital punishment sentences. A report by the organization indicated that since 2015, Saudi Arabia has executed 93 individuals with corporal punishment sentences, cases that bear significant resemblance to the Al-Muhaishi case.
ESOHR condemns the execution of the first murder conviction under the guise of "hadd" against one of the detainees involved in the Qatif events, viewing it as part of a deceptive manipulation despite promises to reduce non-Islamically mandated death sentences.
The organization criticizes corporal punishment sentences based on judicial discretion rather than legal and legitimate interpretations for issuing and executing verdicts, highlighting Saudi Arabia's arbitrary change and application of sentences according to its needs and the use of punishment.
Furthermore, the organization emphasizes that the inability of civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations to access the legal documentation and details of these verdicts contributes to Saudi Arabia's manipulation and deceptive practices.