Young Saudi dissident executed by Saudi authorities for protesting while he was a minor
Name(s):
Jalal al-Labbad
Status:
Deceased (executed)
Year of birth:
1995
Nationality:
Saudi
Date of arrest:
Jalal al-Labbad is a Saudi citizen who was 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. The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence, and he was executed on August 21, 2025.
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 February 23, 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 hospitalized 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 July 31, 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 October 4, 2022, the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the sentence.
On June 14, 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 recognize the arbitrariness of his detention and urge the Saudi authorities to release him or at least commute the sentence to a less severe one.
On October 13, 2023, MENA Rights Group and ESOHR have learned that the Supreme Court held hearings in secret, without the presence of the victims or his lawyers and gave a ruling upholding the death sentence of al-Labbad. His family has never been formally notified of the final decision.
On November 15, 2024, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted an Opinion on the case of Jalal Al-Labbad and four other minors on death row. The Working Group considered that their detention lacked a legal basis, resulted from the exercise of their freedom of expression and followed an unfair trial. It also concluded by stating that the sentence of the five individuals to death for act they committed while they were minors is a clear violation of the obligations of Saudi Arabia under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
On August 21, 2025, the Saudi Ministry of Interior announced the execution of Jalal al-Labbad.
| Name(s): |
Jalal al-Labbad
|
| Status: |
Deceased (executed)
|
| 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 February 23, 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 hospitalized 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 July 31, 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 October 4, 2022, the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the sentence.
On June 14, 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 recognize the arbitrariness of his detention and urge the Saudi authorities to release him or at least commute the sentence to a less severe one.
On October 13, 2023, MENA Rights Group and ESOHR have learned that the Supreme Court held hearings in secret, without the presence of the victims or his lawyers and gave a ruling upholding the death sentence of al-Labbad. His family has never been formally notified of the final decision.
On November 15, 2024, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted an Opinion on the case of Jalal Al-Labbad and four other minors on death row. The Working Group considered that their detention lacked a legal basis, resulted from the exercise of their freedom of expression and followed an unfair trial. It also concluded by stating that the sentence of the five individuals to death for act they committed while they were minors is a clear violation of the obligations of Saudi Arabia under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
On August 21, 2025, the Saudi Ministry of Interior announced the execution of Jalal al-Labbad.
