Saudi Arabia issued a royal decree on Sunday ending the death penalty for individuals convicted of crimes when they were minors, the country’s Human Rights Commission says.
This decree could prevent six men from receiving the death penalty. Saudi Arabia put 184 people to death, the highest number on record. The President of the Human Rights Commission, Awwad Alawwad, celebrated the royal decree saying this measure is indicative of “critical human rights reforms.” The royal decree comes days after the Supreme Court abolished flogging as a form of punishment. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – which Riyadh has signed – says capital punishment should not be used for offences carried out by minors. Activists say Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s worst human rights records. They say freedom of expression is severely curtailed and critics of the government are subject to what they say is arbitrary arrest.
Lawcutor 