Saudi Arabia has abolished the death penalty for individuals who committed crimes while they were still minors.
Minors convicted would instead “receive a prison sentence of no longer than 10 years in a juvenile detention facility,” the statement said.
The latest development was disclosed by the state-backed Human Rights Commission (HRC) in a statement, citing a royal decree by King Salman, on Sunday.
This is coming a day after they abolished flogging as punishment, in the country’s Supreme Court. In its latest annual report earlier this month, Amnesty International rated Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s biggest executioners after Iran and China.
According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia executed 184 people in 2019 and these people included at least one person charged with a crime committed as a minor.
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HRC President Awwad Alawwad said in a statement said: “The decree means that any individuals who received a death sentence for crimes committed while he or she is a minor can no longer face execution.
“Instead, the individual will receive a prison sentence of no longer than 10 years in a juvenile detention facility,
“This is an important day for Saudi Arabia. The decree helps us in establishing a more modern penal code, and demonstrates the kingdom’s commitment to following through on key reforms across all sectors of our country.”
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