Information received by the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights indicates an increased danger to the lives of the eight minors threatened with the death penalty, whose cases are being pursued. This comes as the Supreme Court has confirmed two sentences and the Court of Appeal has confirmed other judgments, referring them to the Supreme Court.
According to the data received by ESOHR, the specialized Court of Appeal recently referred the cases of minors Yousef Al-Manasif and Ali Al Mabiouq to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had previously sent the cases back to the Court of Appeal nearly seven months ago until the latter made revisions and returned them to the Supreme Court, which represents the final stage before execution.
Saudi Arabia responded to two specific United Nations rapporteurs by denying the allegations of abuse, including torture and mistreatment, against Al-Manasif, and refuted the claim that he was a minor at the time of the charges, despite the analysis of the charges by the Public Prosecution confirming that he was between 15 and 16 years old at the time.
ESOHR points out that recent data adds to information received about harassment faced by families of minors threatened with the death penalty due to their communication with the royal court and their request for clemency. ESOHR clarifies that those sentenced to death have the right to seek clemency from the ruler, and since the sentence is a form of punishment, there is no victim or victim's family. The only authority entitled to grant clemency is the "guardian," meaning the king, and the royal court is considered the only means of communication between citizens and the king and his heir.
ESOHR believes that Saudi Arabia's previous practices of executing sentences without notifying families, combined with a lack of transparency, make it impossible to predict the timeframe between the referral of a case to the Supreme Court, its confirmation, and the execution time. However, the cases previously monitored confirm that the lives of the eight minors are in imminent danger.
According to the recent information tracked by the ESOHR:
- he Supreme Court confirmed death sentences against Jalal Labad and Abdullah Al-Derazi without notifying families or lawyers, meaning that these sentences could be carried out at any moment after the king's signature.
- The specialized Court of Appeal referred death sentences against Yousef Al-Manasif, Ali Al-Mabiouq, Hassan Zaki Al-Faraj, and Ali Al-Subaiti to the Supreme Court, which represents the final judicial stage before execution.
- The Supreme Court sent back the death sentence against Jawad Qureiris to the specialized Court of Appeal for revisions months ago.
- Death sentences were issued against Mahdi Al-Mohsen.
ESOHR affirms that the approval of death sentences by the Court of Appeal and later by the Supreme Court, despite the defendants' confirmation of having confessed under torture before the judges, and the lack of serious and effective investigation into this, confirms the procedural formalism of the successive judicial stages glorified by the Saudi government, and its lack of independence. Furthermore, continuing to issue and approve sentences based on the notorious terrorism law, without them being among the most serious crimes under international law, constitutes a blatant violation of international laws.
ESOHR points out that Saudi Arabia has promoted in recent years that it has halted death sentences against minors. However, instead of actual change on the ground, Saudi Arabia has resorted to denial, misinformation, and manipulation in its responses to United Nations communications concerning minors who faced crimes when they were under the age of 18. ESOHR clarifies that the Saudi government's insistence on these misleading practices, coupled with recent developments in the cases of minors whose trials are ongoing, confirms that the danger to their lives is imminent.