Saudi Arabia's Execution of Jalal Labbad: A Travesty of Justice

Strategic Insights -

Saudi Arabia's execution of Jalal Labbad, who was accused of crimes committed as a minor, has been widely condemned by human rights groups. Labbad, a member of the Shia minority in Al-Qatif, was arrested in 2017 at the age of 21 and charged with offenses he allegedly committed as a child. He was sentenced to death in 2022 and the sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court. Labbad's execution on August 21, 2025, is a stark reminder of the Saudi government's blatant disregard for international human rights law.

Key Takeaways:

  • Jalal Labbad, a member of the Shia minority in Al-Qatif, was executed by Saudi Arabia in 2025 for crimes committed as a minor, despite international law prohibiting the death penalty for juvenile offenders.
  • Labbad was arrested in 2017 at the age of 21 and charged with offenses he allegedly committed as a child, and was sentenced to death in 2022.
  • The execution of Labbad contradicts assurances given by the Saudi Human Rights Commission to Amnesty International in 2023 that the application of the death penalty on juvenile for tazir crimes has been completely abolished.
  • Labbad was convicted of a tazir crime, which is a crime in Islamic law for which no specific penalty is prescribed in the Quran or Hadith.
  • The death penalty for crimes committed by individuals under the age of 18 is explicitly prohibited under customary international law, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
  • Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, calling it the ultimate violation of the right to life and a cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment.
  • The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has condemned Labbad's execution and described it as part of a disturbing escalation of unlawful executions that undermine international human rights law and protections for religious freedom.
  • The execution of Labbad highlights the Saudi government's failure to uphold its international human rights obligations and its disregard for the rights of minority groups.

Statistics:

  • 17: the age at which Labbad participated in protests against the treatment of the Shia community.
  • 21: the age at which Labbad was arrested in 2017.
  • 2022: the year in which Labbad was sentenced to death.
  • August 21, 2025: the date on which Labbad was executed.
  • 2023: the year in which the Saudi Human Rights Commission assured Amnesty International that the application of the death penalty on juvenile for tazir crimes had been completely abolished.
  • 2025: the year in which Labbad was executed, despite the Saudi government's assurances to the contrary.

Sources:

  • Amnesty International
  • Saudi Human Rights Commission
  • U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
  • Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights