A young man faces imminent execution in Saudi Arabia for attending protests and funerals between the ages of 15 and 17, according to human rights groups. The case marks another instance of the kingdom increasing its use of capital punishment for non-violent offences.
Youssef al-Manasif was detained in 2017. Authorities accused him of joining demonstrations calling for religious freedom by the Shia minority and attending funerals that the state classifies as protests. The specialised criminal court, a secretive tribunal handling terrorism cases, convicted and sentenced him to death.
The charity Reprieve stated that al-Manasif suffered torture and was coerced into signing a false confession. He met his state-appointed lawyer for the first time in 2022, five years after his initial arrest.
The Saudi supreme court has reportedly upheld the death sentence. This ruling likely represents his final legal recourse to avoid execution.
Al-Manasif’s relatives have remained silent publicly due to fears of arrest or harassment. Duaa Dhainy, a consultant for Reprieve and the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, stated that the family can only wait.
Activists report a surge in executions under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Last year, the country put 356 people to death. Foreigners convicted of non-violent drug offences make up the majority of those executed.
Reprieve records indicate that at least 17 individuals who were children during their alleged offences have been executed in the country since 2015.
In 2020, Saudi Arabia issued a royal decree intended to abolish capital punishment for minors. The decree stated that people would not face the death penalty for crimes committed while under 18.
Despite this announcement, courts have continued to uphold death sentences for child defendants. In April, authorities executed Ali al-Subaiti and his uncle Mustafa al-Subaiti for non-lethal offences committed when Ali was 12 years old.
United Nations independent human rights experts have previously raised concerns regarding al-Manasif, urging Saudi Arabia to halt executions for crimes committed under the age of 18. Dhainy stated that the regime uses execution as a tool to demonstrate power and threaten dissenters. Human Rights Watch described executing al-Manasif for a non-violent childhood offence as an unconscionable new low.
