Saudi Arabia executes former child protester Jawad Qureiris

Rights groups condemn secret execution of former child protester as a tool of political oppression under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman This picture shows a poster depicting King Salman bin Abdulaziz (R), and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) in Riyadh on May 12, 2025 (AFP) Published date: 14 November 2026 17:16 GMT | Last update: 6 sec ago 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. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 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 live ammunition, and provided logistical and financial support for operations within the Kingdom. According to the SPA statement, the cases passed through specialised criminal courts, where the men’s legal responsibility was established before the verdicts were upheld by the Supreme Court and ratified via a royal decree. Qureiris was arrested in December 2020 and charged with offences related to taking part in protests and organising on social media. The late activist would have been 14 at the time of some of the protests in which he is alleged to have participated. His family said he was severely tortured until he gave a false confession to non-lethal terrorism offences that was used to convict him. Trump says Saudi Arabia is 'disintegrating' Read More » Since August 2025, Saudi Arabia has executed five men who were children at the time of their alleged crimes, all from Shia families in eastern provinces and all executed for offences related to demonstrations during and after the Arab Spring protests in 2011-12. Jeed Basyouni, Reprieve's head of MENA death penalty projects, condemned the executions and said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s “penalty for dissent is death- and we’ve seen very clearly in the last two years that this applies to children too.” “Just like the other four young men executed recently for taking part in demonstrations when they were children, Jawad was tortured into making a false confession to so-called 'terrorist' offences and then tried, convicted, sentenced and finally killed in secret,” said Jeed Basyouni, Reprieve's Head of MENA Death Penalty Projects. “The Crown Prince has pursued a vendetta against Jawad's family and others like it who dared to question his right to rule. This is a regime that uses capital punishment as a tool of political oppression and to settle personal scores. Saudi Arabia’s international partners must not stand by and let this happen, and should make urgent representations to halt the imminent execution of Youssef al Manasif." The Eastern Province, a historic hotbed of anti-government demonstrations and home to the kingdom's vast oil reserves, has long been the focal point of state crackdowns against its Shia-majority population. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.