The Saudi Ministry of Interior carried out the executions of Jawad Qureiris and Fadel bin Hassan bin Abdullah Al-Safwani following Supreme Court approval and a royal decree. Authorities alleged the two men engaged in terrorist activities, including attacking security forces with explosives and joining a foreign organization. However, Qureiris's family stated he was detained in 2020 and tortured into falsely confessing to non-lethal acts tied to protests when he was roughly 14 years old. The execution marks the fifth time since August 2025 that the state has executed an Eastern Province resident for childhood offenses.
Key points
Human rights advocates argue that Saudi authorities are weaponizing capital punishment to…: Human rights advocates argue that Saudi authorities are weaponizing capital punishment to silence dissent and politically repress the Shia minority.
Coerced confessions obtained through torture remain a primary basis for securing capital…: Coerced confessions obtained through torture remain a primary basis for securing capital terrorism convictions in the Kingdom.
Activists are urgently appealing to international partners to intervene and halt the immi…: Activists are urgently appealing to international partners to intervene and halt the imminent execution of Youssef al Manasif.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Saudi Arabia executed a man who was detained as a child, alongside another Saudi national from the Kingdom’s Shia-majority Eastern Province.
In a statement on Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency confirmed that Riyadh had executed Jawad Qureiris.
Hailing from a prominent Shia-majority family in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province, Qureiris was a former child defendant who was just 14 to 15 years old during the 2011-12 Arab Spring protests.
Qureiris’ family has a documented history of encounters with state security: one of his brothers was killed by security forces, while another was arrested at age 13 and faced capital charges related to alleged offences committed when he was nine years old.
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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior also announced that Fadel bin Hassan bin Abdullah Al-Safwani was executed on Saturday.
The ministry claimed the men were convicted of “terrorist crimes,” alleging they joined a foreign terrorist organisation, opened fire on security personnel and vehicles with weapons and explosives, possessed…
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