Since the beginning of 2016, the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights has monitored the execution of 13 minors in Saudi Arabia. Information obtained by ESOHR indicates that they were minors at the time of their arrest or when the charges were brought against them.
The lack of transparency in Saudi Arabia's official handling of death cases, along with the intimidation of families and the criminalization of civil society and human rights organizations, makes it difficult to access sufficient information about all those sentenced to death, including their ages and dates of arrest.
In April 2019, the Saudi Ministry of Interior announced the mass execution of 37 individuals, among whom the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights documented that 6 were minors. Recently, the organization found that Jaber Zuhair Al-Muhawen, one of the victims of the April executions, was placed in a juvenile detention center when he was arrested. According to information tracked by the organization, Al-Muhawen was arrested along with others on February 27, 2014, and was placed in the juvenile detention center at the age of 17.
In November 2016, the Specialized Criminal Court issued an initial death sentence against Al-Muhawen, along with Mohammed Al-Khatim and Abdullah Al-Awjan, who were also involved in the case. Local sources indicated that they faced charges including armed rebellion against the ruler, firing on security patrols, and government buildings in Qatif. Saudi Arabia broadly interprets these charges to criminalize peaceful activities, including participation in protests. The Saudi government utilizes anti-terrorism laws and the Specialized Court for this purpose, while documented cases reveal various violations against detainees, including torture, mistreatment, and denial of the right to adequate self-defense, which Al-Muhawen likely experienced.
In July 2017, United Nations rapporteurs mentioned Al-Muhawen's name in a letter to the Saudi government, urging them to take steps to ensure fair trial procedures and refrain from executing death sentences for charges that are not of the most serious nature against 17 detainees. Saudi Arabia ignored the rapporteurs' letter and carried out the death sentence in April 2019.
The latest information documented by ESOHR confirms that the number of minors executed since 2016 has risen to 14, with the possibility that the number could be higher. Other individuals in the same case as Al-Muhawen and in similar cases were reportedly arrested at the age of 18, likely facing charges from when they were minors. ESOHR points out that Saudi Arabia continues to promote that it has stopped executing minors and has amended laws to ensure this, especially the Law of Juveniles. However, the reality confirms that Saudi Arabia persists in issuing and implementing death sentences against them. According to ESOHR's documentation, at least 9 minors are currently facing the death penalty, with two of them, Abdullah Al-Derazi and Jalal Labad, having received final sentences.