United Nations experts called on Saudi Arabia to immediately release Abdullah Al- Huwaiti and abolish the death penalty issued against him based on charges that occurred when he was a child.
The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Rapporteur on the death penalty, indicated in a statement issued on May 31, 2022, that Al-Huwaiti was arrested when he was 14 years old, accused of theft and murder, and was convicted despite the existence of an alibi, and despite his assertion that his confessions were extracted from him under torture. They explained that Al-Huwaiti was sentenced to death for the second time after the Supreme Court overturned his original conviction in 2021.
The experts expressed their concern that the new ruling against Al-Huwaiti was carried out without initiating any investigation into allegations of torture or validating the confession of coercion. They stressed that if the verdict is confirmed by the Court of Appeal, the death penalty will be final and Al-Huwaiti will be in imminent danger.
The experts reminded the Saudi government of its obligation to conduct a prompt and impartial investigation wherever there are reasonable grounds to commit torture and to exclude any evidence obtained as a result of torture and coercion.
The statement pointed out that the imposition of the death penalty on children should be completely prohibited under international law with no exception or derogation from this prohibition under any circumstances. The experts urged the Saudi government to take the necessary legislative measures to abolish the imposition of the death penalty on children for all crimes, including Qisas and Hudud.
The statement also indicated that the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had confirmed that Al- Huwaiti's arrest was arbitrary, and the United Nations experts had more than once expressed their concerns about the safety of this case and called on the authorities to take immediate measures to protect his physical and moral safety.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights asserts that, in issuing the death sentence against Abdullah Al-Huwaiti twice, Saudi Arabia ignored international laws and its obligations, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture. The organization also notes that the statement of the United Nations experts comes in light of the continuing threat to the lives of dozens, including 5 minors, facing charges that are not considered the most serious.