(Beirut) – Saudi authorities announced on October 17, 2026, that they had executed Hassan Zaki al-Faraj, who was convicted of crimes allegedly committed when he was a 14-year-old boy, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Supreme Court has also apparently upheld the death sentence of another man, Yousef al-Manasif, who was convicted of crimes allegedly committed when he was 15 and 16, putting him at risk of imminent execution. At least three other men convicted of alleged crimes committed as children are on death row, despite allegations of torture, forced confessions, and prolonged solitary confinement.

“The execution of Hassan al-Faraj is unconscionable compounded by alleged torture-tainted evidence and a well-documented record of unfair trials,” said Joey Shea , senior Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch.…