Young Saudi dissident subjected to brutal acts of torture and sentenced to death
Name(s):
Jalal Al-Labbad
Status:
Detained
Year of birth:
1995
Nationality:
Saudi
Date of arrest:
Jalal Al-Labbad is a Saudi citizen currently detained in Dammam Prison in Riyadh. During 2011 and 2012 as a minor, Al-Labbad participated in demonstrations to protest against the treatment of the Shiite minority in Al-Qatif and the funerals of the victims who were killed by government forces during protests. He was brutally arrested and detained since 2017 for acts related to the exercise of his freedom of expression, and was sentenced by Saudi Arabia’s Specialised Criminal Court and the Court of Appeal to the death penalty. While in detention, Al-Labbad was subjected to severe acts of torture. His case is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
In 2011 and 2012, Jalal Al-Labbad participated in demonstrations to protest against the treatment of the Shiite minority in al-Qatif and the funerals of the victims who were killed by government forces during protests.
On 23 February 2017, he was brutally arrested in his family home in al-Awamiyah, by security forces. Since then, he has been subjected to severe acts of torture, put in solitary confinement and was denied communication with the outside world for prolonged periods of time. Because of the intensity of the beatings and acts of torture, he was hospitalised several times and suffers from chronic pain.
In July 2019, Jalal Al-Labbad’s trial began before the Specialised Criminal Court in Riyadh. He faced several charges related to his participation in demonstrations, marches, and funerals. At least one of the charges relates to act he had committed while he was still fifteen years old, namely attending funerals of victims.
On 31 July 2022, the Specialised Criminal Court issued a Ta’azir death sentence against Jalal al-Labbad as part of its discretionary power to do so. He was found guilty of charges relating to acts allegedly committed when he was a minor. On 4 October 2022, the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the sentence. The case is now pending before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court may either grant a retrial or uphold the death sentences with a final decision, which would mean that he would be at risk of imminent execution. He is currently detained in Dammam prison.
On 14 June 2023, MENA Rights Group and the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights file a Request for Opinion to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, asking to recognise the arbitrariness of his detention and urge the Saudi authorities to release him or at least commute the sentence to a less severe one.
| Name(s): |
Jalal Al-Labbad
|
| Status: |
Detained
|
| Year of birth: |
1995
|
| Nationality: |
Saudi
|
| Date of arrest: |
|
In 2011 and 2012, Jalal Al-Labbad participated in demonstrations to protest against the treatment of the Shiite minority in al-Qatif and the funerals of the victims who were killed by government forces during protests.
On 23 February 2017, he was brutally arrested in his family home in al-Awamiyah, by security forces. Since then, he has been subjected to severe acts of torture, put in solitary confinement and was denied communication with the outside world for prolonged periods of time. Because of the intensity of the beatings and acts of torture, he was hospitalised several times and suffers from chronic pain.
In July 2019, Jalal Al-Labbad’s trial began before the Specialised Criminal Court in Riyadh. He faced several charges related to his participation in demonstrations, marches, and funerals. At least one of the charges relates to act he had committed while he was still fifteen years old, namely attending funerals of victims.
On 31 July 2022, the Specialised Criminal Court issued a Ta’azir death sentence against Jalal al-Labbad as part of its discretionary power to do so. He was found guilty of charges relating to acts allegedly committed when he was a minor. On 4 October 2022, the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the sentence. The case is now pending before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court may either grant a retrial or uphold the death sentences with a final decision, which would mean that he would be at risk of imminent execution. He is currently detained in Dammam prison.
On 14 June 2023, MENA Rights Group and the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights file a Request for Opinion to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, asking to recognise the arbitrariness of his detention and urge the Saudi authorities to release him or at least commute the sentence to a less severe one.
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