Urgent Action: ARRESTED AT 14, TORTURED, NOW FACES EXECUTION (Saudi Arabia: UA 60.22)

Abdullah al-Huwaiti, who was arrested when he was 14, is at imminent risk of execution in Saudi Arabia. On June 13, 2022, the Appeals Court upheld his death sentence after a grossly unfair trial. During his time in detention, he was held in solitary confinement, denied access to a lawyer, and forced to “confess” under duress. On March 2, 2022, he was re-sentenced to death by a Criminal Court in Tabuk on charges which included armed robbery and the murder of a security officer. Amnesty International calls on the Supreme Court and the King to not ratify Abdullah al-Huwaiti’s death sentence, quash his conviction, and re-try him in proceedings that are fully consistent with international fair trial standards, without resort to the death penalty.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on August 15, 2022.
2. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
3. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 60.22. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

CONTACT INFORMATION

---

SAMPLE LETTER Your Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, I am alarmed to learn that Abdullah al-Huwaiti is at imminent risk of execution following an Appeal Court’s decision on June 13, 2022, to uphold his death sentence. As you may be aware, Abdullah al-Huwaiti was only 14 years old at the time of his arrest and when he was tried with five other defendants on May 11, 2017. Following a re-trial ordered by the Supreme Court in 2021, he was re-sentenced to death by a Criminal Court in Tabuk on March 2, 2022. As this decision has since been upheld by the Appeals Court, I fear for the life of Abdullah al-Huwaiti as the Supreme Court could ratify his death sentence at any moment. It is further distressing that, during his detention, Abdullah al-Huwaiti was detained in solitary confinement for four months and was not allowed to speak to his family and access a lawyer throughout this period and during interrogation. Disturbingly, despite the fact that he was a child at the time of the arrest, he was detained in the criminal investigations unit of Tabuk instead of the juvenile detention centre (Dar Al Mulahaza). Abdullah al-Huwaiti told the court: “Everything in the ‘confession’ is not true, and I was forced to confess as I was beaten and threatened… I was also told to change my testimony to match that of other defendants”. Abdullah al-Huwaiti refused to sign his testimony as he maintained it is not true; yet, the court refused to withdraw his testimony and consequently sentenced him to death. The Saudi Human Rights Commission said in a statement to Amnesty International in February 2022 that the country no longer executes individuals “for crimes committed by minors” and has commuted all such outstanding sentences. Meanwhile, Abdullah al-Huwaiti’s death sentence was still upheld following a re-trial. I urge you not to ratify the death sentence of Abdullah al-Huwaiti, and to quash his conviction, given the grave concerns about the fairness of his trial and his age at the time of arrest, and to order a re-trial in proceedings that are fully consistent with international fair trial standards, without resort to the death penalty. Furthermore, I call on you to order a prompt, impartial, independent, and effective investigation into his claims before the court of torture and ill-treatment and to immediately establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• READ THE FULL URGENT ACTION: Word or PDF
• GET INSPIRED: Read about the people you have helped
• READ TIPS for writing effective letters and emails
• CONTACT US: [email protected]