Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Saudi Arabia: Commuted death sentence for man convicted as minor reinstated

Saudi Arabia: Commuted death sentence for man convicted as minor reinstated

Abdullah al-Huwaiti, who was 14 at the time of the alleged offence, was retried under a form of retributive justice that allows the family of the victim to demand the death penalty

A Saudi man sentenced to death for crimes reportedly committed when he was a minor, only to see the judgement overturned last year, had his death sentence reinstated on Wednesday, according to his family.

Abdullah al-Huwaiti was arrested in 2017 when he was only 14 and given the death penalty at 17 after being convicted on murder and armed robbery charges.

However, after Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court commuted the sentence in November last year, Huwaiti was retried by a Tabuk criminal court under qisas - a form of retributive justice that allows the family of the victim to demand a death sentence, diya (monetary compensation), or offer a pardon.

The court subsequently sentenced Huwaiti to death once again.

Huwaiti's mother announced the news of her son's reinstated death sentence on 2 March in a series of tweets and called on King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to intervene to save Huwaiti.


Translation: We demand King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his Crown Prince, Muhammad bin Salman, to intervene immediately to save us from the injustice that has affected Abdullah. We demand that the case is brought to Riyadh and investigated fully so the truth appears and the corruption of the interrogators and judges is revealed.


Translation: Tabuk Criminal Court rules with injustice and sentences Abdullah with qisas. After the Supreme Court overturned the initial ruling because of the false confessions, today they hand down their judgment and injustice as they had previously done. We do not know who the important person is who is being protected whilst they sacrifice Abdullah? Allah is sufficient for us.

'Grave doubts about his guilt'


Huwaiti's original trial had been marked by controversy, as the evidence used against him and how it had been obtained was questioned by human rights organisations.

After his arrest in May 2017, Huwaiti had been held incommunicado for four months and denied access to a lawyer. He was interrogated under torture, including being whipped with electrical wire and was beaten to the point that he could not walk for days, according to the rights group Reprieve.

"Abdullah al-Huwaiti has now been sentenced to death not once, but twice, by a court that knows he was 14 years old when he was arrested and tortured," said Maya Foa, director of Reprieve.

"How can this be when Saudi Arabia has claimed, so often and so vociferously, to have eliminated the death penalty for children?"

Last April, Saudi King Salman issued a royal decree ending death sentences for crimes committed as a minor, instead making the maximum sentence 10 years in a juvenile detention facility.

Still, rights groups have raised concerns about its implementation and previously warned that several youths still face the death penalty.

"The Supreme Court overturned Abdullah al-Huwaiti's conviction because of grave doubts about his guilt and evidence he was tortured into making a false confession," said Ali Adubisi, director of the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights.

"For the court to change the ruling from Haraba to Qisas only indicates Saudi Arabia's ability to manipulate death sentences for reasons not related to justice. Minors are still threatened with execution and the judicial system in Saudi Arabia is still unable to secure fair trials."

In addition to Huwaiti, there are at least five other child defendants at risk of death sentences for childhood crimes in Saudi Arabia, according to Reprieve. This is because juvenile law only specifically protects child defendants from the death penalty if sentenced under one category of offence.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×