UN experts urge Saudi Arabia to reverse death sentence for man convicted as minor
- iamjoyblessy
- Jun 6, 2022
- 1 min read
United Nations legal experts urged Saudi Arabia on Monday to reverse a death sentence imposed on Abdullah al-Huwaiti, a man who was convicted for crimes reportedly committed when he was a minor.
In May 2017, Huwaiti – who was 14-years-old at the time – was detained by police officers from his home in the northwestern city of Tabuk, and convicted of allegedly shooting a policeman during a robbery of a jewellery store.
He was held incommunicado for four months and denied access to a lawyer. He was interrogated under torture, including being whipped with electrical wire and was beaten to the point that he could not walk for days, according to rights groups.
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court overturned his sentence in November last year, however, Huwaiti was retried by a Tabuk criminal court under qisas– a form of retributive justice that allows the family of the victim to demand a death sentence, diya (monetary compensation), or offer a pardon.
The court subsequently sentenced Huwaiti to death once again. His appeal against the second death sentence is currently being heard by the appeals court and a verdict is expected soon.
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