Two members of the European Parliament expressed their fear of the decision of the Criminal Court in Tabuk in Saudi Arabia to execute the minor Abdullah al-Hwaiti for the second time.
Maria Arena, the chairperson of the European Parliament’s Human Rights Subcommittee, and Hannah Neumann, the head of the European Parliament’s delegation with the Arabian Peninsula, considered in a statement on June 22, 2022, that the ruling is not only inconsistent with international human rights standards that prohibit the death penalty for crimes committed under the age of 18. It is also inconsistent with the royal order issued in 2020, which announced the end of the death penalty against minors.
The statement considered the new ruling against Al-Huwaiti issued when the Saudi government expressed its willingness to enter into a meaningful dialogue with the European Union on human rights at the executive and legislative levels.
The two parliamentarians hoped that the ruling will be overturned by the Supreme Court again. In addition, they considered that the conviction of the new ruling against al-Huwaiti and the order for a retrial in accordance with international standards without resorting to the death penalty is what may be a clear indication of the implementation of laws and promises in Saudi Arabia.
The Court of Appeals in Tabuk had approved the death sentence against the minor, Abdullah al-Hwaiti, months after the Supreme Court overturned the ruling to kill him with Harba punishment and retry him.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights confirms that the judiciary in Saudi Arabia still allows the death penalty for minors. In addition to Al-Huwaiti, the Public Prosecution Office is still demanding the death penalty for at least four other minors. It is likely that the number of minors facing the death penalty is much larger, as there is no transparency in the Saudi government's handling of the execution file.