Saudi Arabia continues to use unfair trial practices and Human Rights abuses against Children offenders. Saudi Arabia’s courts upheld last week the death sentence of a young Saudi Arabian Shi’a man.

Although Abdulkareem Al-Hawaj is today 21 years old, at the time of the offense he was 16 years old. He claims that he was arrested in relation to his participation in alleged anti-government protests in 2012. He was arrested without the presence of his parents, had no access to a lawyer or any legal representation throughout the pre-trial detention and interrogations. In addition during his detention, he was kept for the first five months in solitary confinement at a security checkpoint.

The sole basis of his conviction for these alleged offenses is his confession which was obtained through coercion. Indeed, the 16-year-old boy was beaten, tortured and threatened with the killing of his family until he signed a confession. These practices are abhorrent when it comes to adult but they are even more outrageous when it comes to children as they are deemed more vulnerable than adults.

Saudi Arabi’s practices are clear violations of fair trial standards for adults and for minors. Minors are usually not legally competent to sign documents without the consent of their guardians. In a country which upholds guardianship rules even for adult women, it comes as a surprise that a young boy’s confession was considered legally binding before a court and particularly in upholding a death sentence.

International standards prohibit the use of death penalty against offenders under the age of 18 as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Saudi Arabia is a state party. These requirements and prohibitions are imposed because children are deemed to be vulnerable and required additional protection when facing the judicial process.

Saudi Arabia continues to ignore its obligations with impunity. Various countries, including Iceland, commented on Saudi Arabia’s continued use of the death penalty against minors during the 36th Session of the Human Rights Council on the 19 September at its meeting in Geneva.

ICSFT condemns the violent practices used by the security forces against underage offenders and urges King Salman to step in and quash Al-Hawaj’s death sentence. ICSFT calls on the international community and the relevant stakeholders to pressure Saudi Arabia to comply with international obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.