Source: Amnesty International –
Reacting to the news that Saudi authorities executed Jalal Labbad on 21 August 2025 for crimes allegedly committed when he was under 18 years of age [a child], Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International’s Middle East Campaigner, said:
“Saudi Arabia’s execution of Jalal Labbad is deplorable and underscores the devastating toll of the authorities’ ruthless use of the death penalty in complete disregard of one of the most absolute prohibitions to its use. The imposition of the death penalty for crimes allegedly committed by people when they were children is prohibited under international human rights law and customary international law.
It is past time Saudi Arabia put an end to its disgraceful use of the death penalty, which includes executing people for crimes they allegedly committed as children, and leaves families torn apart and devastated.
Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International
“His execution is the tragic culmination of a slew of human rights violations at the hands of the Saudi state, from his arbitrary detention to his grossly unfair prosecution and trial. Jalal Labbad was denied access to legal representation during his pre-trial detention and told the court that he had been tortured, beaten up and electrocuted to “confess” his guilt. The court did not investigate the claims of torture and other ill-treatment. This shameful list of violations renders his execution arbitrary under international law.
“Saudi authorities must release Jalal Labbad’s body to his family without undue delay so that they may conduct a dignified burial and mourn him in accordance with their cultural and religious practices. Saudi authorities have withheld the bodies of individuals they have executed, causing immense agony and further trauma to their families.
“Following Jalal Labbad’s execution, Amnesty International is gravely concerned for the lives of other young men on death row, including Abdullah al-Derazi, for crimes that they allegedly committed when they were under 18 years of age. Al-Derazi, also a member of the country’s Shia minority, also had his sentence upheld in secret and was subjected to a slew of human rights violations. UN experts have concluded that his and other young men’s detention is arbitrary. It is past time Saudi Arabia put an end to its disgraceful use of the death penalty, which includes executing people for crimes they allegedly committed as children, and leaves families torn apart and devastated.”