On 10 March 2026, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) delivered an intervention during the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in the framework of the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children. The organization highlighted the continued execution of individuals in Saudi Arabia for alleged acts committed when they were children, calling for an immediate halt to these practices and full compliance with international law prohibiting the execution of persons for crimes committed as minors.
In 2025, Saudi Arabia resumed the practice of executing persons for crimes allegedly committed when they were children. On 21 August, Jalal al-Labbad was put to death. On 20 October, Abdullah al-Derazi followed. Both cases were documented by international civil society as concerning alleged conduct that occurred when they were under eighteen.
Saudi Arabia has publicly claimed reform. It has pointed to royal decrees and juvenile justice legislation as proof that child offenders would no longer face execution. Yet carve-outs remain. Terrorism pathways remain. Discretionary death sentences remain. And the executions continue.
International law is not ambiguous on this point. The prohibition on executing persons for crimes committed as children is absolute. It is embedded in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is not subject to exception, political context, or public relations strategy.
We urge the Special Rapporteur to call for an immediate moratorium on all death sentences imposed for alleged juvenile conduct, transparent publication of affected cases, and independent review of convictions secured through coercion. Reform cannot be rhetorical. It must be absolute.
