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Saudi Arabia Reviews Death Sentences Issued Against Children
Article by Louis Linel published on September 01st, 2020
According to the Saudi Human Rights Commission, the death sentence issued against Ali al-Nimr, Dawoud al-Marhoun and Abdullah al-Zaher will be reviewed in accordance with reforms decreed in the Kingdom in April on juvenile criminal justice.
Saudi Human Rights Commission announced, on 26 August 2020, that Public Prosecution would review the death sentences issued against Ali al-Nimr, Dawoud al-Marhoun and Abdullah al-Zaher. Convicted for terrorism but minor at the time of the offense, the latter would benefit from recent criminal justice reforms that have been introduced by a royal decree in April 2020, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty against juveniles.
Saudi law now provides that minors can be sentenced to no more than 10 years in prison and serve their sentence in a juvenile facility. Reforms enshrined in this decree entered into force retroactively.
When the decree was published, some questions, however, had been raised regarding loopholes in Saudi Kingdom's promise to halt death sentences against children.