Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: No death penalty for juvenile offenders

Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) has reiterated that juvenile offenders will not face the death penalty in the kingdom.

In a recent statement, the Saudi watchdog made it clear that juvenile offenders would not be handed out capital punishment. The statement was made in response to a series of confused and inaccurate statements made by the Human Rights Watch (HRW).

In April, the Saudi watchdog abolished the death penalty for minors convicted of committing crimes. The new rule, which applies to all cases, came into force immediately after its announcement in April.

The watchdog found Human Rights Watch’s claim that Saudi prosecutors still seek death sentences against juvenile offenders is baseless and untrue. “We are confident that Saudi prosecutors will fully comply with the Saudi law.”

The international watchdog appears to have mixed several cases that are different in nature. Some of the referenced individuals were minors when they committed the crimes for which they are being prosecuted.

HRC has confirmed that these individuals are being charged under the Juvenile Law and that there is no request for death sentence.

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