Abdullah al-Derazi

SAUDI ARABIA: CHILD DEFENDANT AT IMMINENT RISK OF EXECUTION

October 18, 2023:

Abdullah al-Derazi is a child defendant at risk of imminent execution in Saudi Arabia, despite repeated claims by Saudi authorities that they have abolished the death penalty for children.
The Saudi Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Abdullah, and so his execution can be carried out at any time without notice.
Abdullah’s death sentence relies on torture-extracted evidence. Abdullah’s death sentence was upheld by Saudi Arabia’s Court of Appeal despite a prior “Royal Decree” purporting to abolish the death penalty for children, and subsequent claims about abolition in Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission’s April 2022 report. All the charges against Abdullah are non-lethal, protest-related, and do not meet the “most serious crimes” threshold as required by Saudi Arabia’s obligations under Article 6 of the Arab Charter. Abdullah’s death sentence is categorised under the discretionary offences category (ta’zir), which is specifically protected under the 2020 “Royal Decree” to abolish the death penalty for children.
The international community must call on the Government of Saudi Arabia to deliver on its promise to abolish capital punishment for children and ensure that Abdullah is protected from execution. In light of the real risk of imminent execution that Abdullah faces, Reprieve and ESOHR respectfully ask international partners to call on Saudi authorities to: ensure Abdullah al-Derazi is not executed and that his death sentence is overturned, in line with the Royal Decree 2020, and as required by Saudi Arabia under Article 6 of the Arab Charter.
Abdullah was arrested by security officers on 27 August 2014, when he was 18 years old.
Abdullah was held incommunicado for three months, and he remained in solitary confinement for approximately six months, during which time he was physically and psychologically tortured.
Prison officers burned Abdullah around his eye, broke his tooth and injured his knee. Abdullah alleges he was restrained and suspended for a long time and that his ear was severely injured as a result of torture during this time. This abuse led to Abdullah’s hospitalization, where he spent two weeks in a coma.
During his time in detention, Abdullah was forced into signing a false confession stating that he was part of a terrorist group. Abdullah denies all the charges against him, which are all non-lethal, protest-related crimes.