In 2024, Saudi Arabia executed 345 people, the highest number recorded in the country in 30 years and more than double the 2023 total . This alarming figure highlights the broader pattern of judicial abuse and repression in the kingdom. Despite frequent claims of reform, Saudi Arabia’s justice system remains harsh and opaque, targeting even the most vulnerable groups—minors among them. Children are arrested, detained, and in some cases sentenced to death in clear violation of international human rights standards.
In 2020, Saudi Arabia announced it would abolish the death penalty for minors. However, legal loopholes remain. Under Qisas (retribution) and Hudud (fixed punishments under Sharia law), judges retain discretion to impose capital punishment on juvenile offenders. These categories are exempt from the 2020 royal decree that was supposed to end the practice of sentencing minors to death, allowing courts to bypass the ban by reclassifying charges. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has not amended its domestic legal framework to codify the reform into law, leaving implementation dependent on judicial discretion. This approach undermines Saudi Arabia’s obligations under Article 37(a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which strictly prohibits the death penalty for offenses committed by persons under 18. International observers have noted that this selective enforcement allows authorities to continue sentencing minors to death while claiming progress on the international stage. The government’s inconsistent application of reforms continues to endanger children.
These concerns are echoed in the broader pattern of criminalizing peaceful dissent. Minors, like adults, have been arrested and prosecuted under vague counterterrorism and cybercrime laws that criminalize “disrupting public order” or “harming the reputation of the state.” These provisions are frequently used to silence dissent, including on social media. The lack of clarity in these laws enables Saudi authorities to imprison children for merely participating in protests or expressing political opinions online .
Numerous cases demonstrate the continuing threat. In 2022, Abdullah al-Howaiti was sentenced to death for a crime allegedly committed at age 17, despite serious inconsistencies in evidence and allegations of torture and forced confession. His conviction was issued despite an alibi and a lack of physical evidence linking him to the scene. Similarly, Jalal al-Labbad was sentenced to death in June 2024 for acts allegedly committed as a juvenile. He was subjected to repeated episodes of torture, denied access to legal counsel during interrogation, and held in conditions that violate international protections. Both cases are emblematic of a wider pattern in which Saudi authorities continue to pursue death sentences against minors despite mounting international pressure. According to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, at least five children remain at risk of execution, having been detained for prolonged periods under abusive conditions and without due process.
Other minors facing death sentences have been held incommunicado, denied access to legal counsel, and prosecuted in trials lacking transparency or due process. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has condemned these practices and called for the release of minors held unlawfully—calls that have gone unheeded.
Saudi Arabia continues to present itself as a modernizing state, hosting major international events and launching PR campaigns to reshape its global image. But behind this façade lies a justice system that continues to sentence children to death in violation of international law. Until genuine legal reforms are implemented—and all minors are protected from capital punishment—Saudi Arabia’s human rights record will remain in stark contradiction with its global narrative.
