The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) condemns in the strongest terms the ongoing executions of citizens and migrants in Saudi Arabia. Authorities must immediately halt this inhuman practice which mostly is used as a weapon to send out a message of terror to other citizens in addition to targeting peaceful protesters and critics.

In a shocking turn of event, GCHR learned of the execution of Jalal Labbad, 30 years old, on 21 August 2025. Labbad was a citizen of the Western region of Saudi Arabia.

On 23 February 2017, he was arrested without a judicial warrant, after security forces raided his family home at Al-Awamiyah for his peaceful participation, when he was 15 years old, in protests in 2011 and 2012 against the discrimination of his community in the Eastern region, as well as his attendance at funerals of his fellow protesters who were killed by the security forces.

Reports confirmed that he was placed in solitary confinement, tortured several times, and transported repeatedly to a hospital for problems arising from his torture.

The trial of Labbad did not start until 2019, when his case was reviewed by the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC). He was accused of several charges including “participation in a demonstration”, “attending funerals of victims shot by government forces”, and “helping to treat and shelter wanted persons who were wounded and shooting at and throwing Molotov cocktails at soldiers”.  He was also accused of participating in the killing of Judge Mohammed Al-Jirani, although no concrete evidence of his role was presented, except that 22 names of suspects were also added to the case related to that charge.

On 31 July 2022, the SCC sentenced Labbad to death. On 04 October 2022, the SCC of Appeal upheld the sentence, and on 13October 2023, the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence in a secret hearing, without notifying his family or legal representatives.

It’s important to mention that his brother, Fadel Labbad, was executed in 2019, while his third brother, Mohammed Labbad, was sentenced to death in October 2022, and reportedly sentenced again to death after a retrial.

Saudi Arabia is party to the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), which prohibits the execution of people for crimes committed when minors. In 2020, Saudi Arabia issued a decree prohibiting judges from using their own discretion or “ta’zir” to sentence minors. However, it contained a number of exceptions under vague definitions of certain crimes of terror. Labbad was one of nine individuals sentenced to death for alleged crimes committed while minors. Most of them were for acts of protests defined as acts of terror under the Counterterrorism Law.

United Nations experts commented on the execution by saying “We are dismayed by the execution of Mr. Jala Labbad on 21 August, despite our grave concerns repeatedly communicated to the authorities, it is particularly disturbing that his family was not informed of the execution date and reportedly learned of his death through social media.” They called on authorities to “immediately return Mr. Labbad’s body to his relatives and permit an independent medico-legal examination.”

They warned that “the execution of persons convicted for offences committed when the offenders were minors is prohibited under international law and constitute an arbitrary deprivation of life.”

Also, the UN experts expressed “grave concern at the risk of execution facing Abdullah Al-Derazi, Yousif Al-Manasif, Jawad Abdullah Qureiris and Hassan Zaki Al-Faraj,” and “reiterated earlier concerns that the four were children at imminent risk of execution.”

Saudi Arabia has witnessed an increase of executions, including those of minors since 2023. In 2023, a total of 172 confirmed executions were carried out, while in 2024, the country recorded the highest number of 198 confirmed executions, and in 2025, 180 executions were carried out up until June alone. 

GCHR has reported on the execution on 14 June 2025 of journalist Turki Al-Jasser, and of other individuals for the crimes of treason after trials that lack transparency or due process. It only reveals the weaponising of the legal system against peaceful dissent and the use of the death sentence for non-violent crimes.

Recommendations

GCHR calls on the Saudi authorities to:

1. End the use of the death penalty sentence for crimes committed by minors or non-violent crimes, according to the country’s human rights obligation;
2. Refrain from issuing execution sentences against human rights and political dissidents under the false charges of treason or terrorism;
3. Ensure that international standards and due process are carried out for trials in all cases of those sentenced to death; and
4. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.