The families of two Saudis who were arrested, allegedly tortured, and sentenced to death for participating in protests when they were teenagers have asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken to intervene in their case while two lawmakers are hoping to hold the Biden administration accountable for failing to press the kingdom on human rights violations.
Abdullah al Derazi and Youssef al Manasif were both rounded up by the authorities as minors and are facing execution despite a pledge by the kingdom to end death penalty cases against child defendants.
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The family of Abdullah al Derazi, who is from the Qatif region of Saudi Arabia, claims he was taken by the police and thrown in jail as an example and warning to “scare people to stop them from protesting.”
“Saudi Arabia’s government is deaf to our crimes but it will listen to you,” a letter from al Derazi’s family member to Blinken read. “You can help bring our sweet and sensitive boy home and prevent him being taken from us forever.”
Youssef al Manasif, the other prisoner, has been accused of attending funerals when he was between 15 and 17 years old that Saudi authorities called “protests,” said Reprieve, a nonprofit organization made up of investigators, lawyers, and volunteers who defend people facing human rights abuses by powerful governments.
Al Manasif was tortured and forced into signing false confessions and denied legal representation, Reprieve added.
Both cases are currently being reviewed by Saudi Arabia’s supreme court. However, if their convictions are upheld, both men could be executed quickly and without notice.
The Middle Eastern country ranks as one of the world’s most deadly in terms of execution. Between 2010 and 2021, at least 1,243 people were put to death. Last year, at least 147 people were executed, though some human rights organizations put the numbers much higher. The six bloodiest years of Saudi-sanctioned executions have taken place under the leadership of Mohammed bin Salman and King Salman. From 2015 to 2022, when King Salman came to power, there was an average of 129.5 executions every year, an 82% increase, according to Reprieve.
Saudi Arabia issued a royal decree in 2020 to abolish the death penalty for crimes people allegedly committed as minors. However, there have been multiple cases where the kingdom has gone back on its word. The cases have not only made Saudi Arabia look bad but have also shed a negative light on President Joe Biden, who has failed to enforce any type of consequences for Saudi Arabia’s violations.
Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) have introduced a resolution that would force the White House to release a report on Saudi Arabia’s infractions as well as a detailed explanation of what the Biden administration is doing in response, the Guardian reported. The report would also require the White House to specifically address Saudi’s involvement in the war in Yemen and force the administration to state why U.S. security assistance to the kingdom is necessary.
The Biden administration has made lofty promises to reform America’s relationship with Saudi Arabia but has failed to deliver.
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“I think the world notices when we talk a big game on human rights but we don’t often follow through,” Lee told the Guardian. “I think that the Gulf is getting a message that it can continue with its campaign of unprecedented political repression, business as usual, with very few changes with the relationship with the United States.”
He added that the administration “should not be satisfied by just releasing one or two Americans or the Egyptians releasing three or four Americans. I don’t think it suits us to be so deeply wedded to countries that are engaged in these broad dizzying campaigns of political repression.”
