UN Warns: Saudi Arabia Sentencing Children to Death in Defiance of International Law
Despite Signing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Saudi Courts Continue to Prosecute and Sentence Minors for Political Activities and Social Media Posts.
Watan-While justice is meant to protect the most vulnerable, the reality inside Saudi Arabia reveals shocking practices—where children face death sentences after what are described as unjust and arbitrary trials. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has issued a new warning about the kingdom’s continued execution of minors, in blatant violation of international law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Despite Saudi Arabia being a signatory to the Convention—which explicitly prohibits the execution of individuals for crimes committed under the age of 18—its courts still pursue charges against minors for political activities or online interactions. These include participating in protests, attending funerals, or posting content on social media.
Names on Death Row
The latest UN warning specifically highlights five detainees at imminent risk of execution: Abdullah al-Darazi, Youssef al-Munasif, Jalal al-Labbad, Jawad Qureiris, and Hassan Zaki al-Faraj.
According to the report, these young men were arrested as minors and subjected to both physical and psychological torture. They were coerced into confessions and denied the right to a fair trial or the legal protections guaranteed to children.
🔴في مملكة يُقطّع فيها الصحفيون بالمناشـ ـير، ليس غريبا أن يُساق الأطفال إلى المـ&ـقاصـ*ـل.. قُصّر في #السعودية يواجهون المـ&ـوت بتهم المشاركة في احتجاجات وكتابة منشورات على مواقع التواصل، بعد محاكمات تشوبها الانتــهـ&ـاكات والتـ*ـعــذيب وانتزاع الاعترافات..
الأمم المتحدة… pic.twitter.com/EFIIsguANR
— وطن. يغرد خارج السرب (@watanserb_news) May 3, 2025
Chilling Statistics
Since the beginning of 2025, Saudi Arabia has carried out 98 executions, placing it among the world’s top executioners despite widespread international condemnation. Many of these were conducted quietly, with reports of secret executions and the withholding of victims’ bodies to prevent families from holding dignified funerals.
Discrimination Against the Shia Minority
UN experts also voiced concern over a clear pattern of sectarian discrimination, particularly targeting the Shia minority in the eastern provinces. Shia Saudis face disproportionately high rates of arrest and execution, often in cases labeled “criminal” but widely seen as politically motivated.
Official Silence and Political Evasion
In response to the criticisms, Saudi authorities have issued denials described by the UN as “misleading and inconsistent.” Officials have rejected torture claims without providing evidence, and no transparent investigations have been launched into repeated allegations of abuse and illegal executions.
When the Law Becomes a Weapon
In a country where criticism is criminalized and human rights defenders are silenced, the law itself has become a tool for eliminating political dissent and intimidating society. Children languish in prison for years, awaiting verdicts that could cost them their lives—while justice, instead of protecting them, becomes a drawn bow aimed at their throats.
