Saudi man faces execution over protests he attended as a teenager
A Saudi Arabian man faces imminent execution over alleged offenses dating back to when he was 15 to 17 years old, including attending demonstrations and funerals, human rights organizations have warned.
Youssef al-Manasif was arrested in 2017 and accused of participating in protests for the rights of Saudi Arabia's Shia minority, as well as attending funerals that authorities classified as demonstrations, The Guardian reported on Oct. 16.
He was convicted and sentenced to death by Saudi Arabia's Specialized Criminal Court, which handles terrorism-related cases. His sentence has reportedly been upheld by the country's Supreme Court.
The human rights organization Reprieve says Manasif was tortured and forced to sign a false confession. According to the group, he did not meet his state-appointed lawyer until 2022, five years after his arrest.
His family has not spoken publicly about the case amid fears of harassment or detention.
Saudi Arabia announced in 2020 that it was abolishing the death penalty for crimes committed by minors. However, human rights groups say the kingdom has continued to execute people for alleged offenses committed before they turned 18.
According to Reprieve, at least 17 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia since 2015 for alleged crimes committed when they were children.
In April 2026, Saudi authorities executed Ali al-Subaiti, along with his uncle, Mustafa al-Subaiti, over non-lethal terrorism-related offenses that Ali was accused of committing at age 12.
UN human rights experts have previously raised concerns about Manasif's case and called on Saudi Arabia to halt executions for offenses allegedly committed by minors.
Human Rights Watch said executing Manasif for a nonviolent offense committed as a child would represent "an unconscionable new low."
The case comes amid a sharp increase in executions in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom executed a record 356 people in 2025, according to figures cited by The Guardian, with many of those executed being foreign nationals convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.