Death Sentences of 3 Saudis for Crimes Committed as Minors Commuted

The death sentences of three Shi’ite Muslims who committed crimes when they were minors were reduced to 10 years in prison, Saudi Arabia’s state-backed Human Rights Commission announced on Sunday, Reuters reported.

The death sentences had remained in force despite a royal decree issued by King Salman in March and announced then by the commission that ended capital punishment for juveniles.

The Saudi government’s Center for International Communications told Reuters earlier this month that the royal decree would be applied retroactively to all cases where an individual was sentenced to death for offenses committed under the age of 18. But the three arrested as teens who have been held for up to nine years had not heard anything about the commutation.

Time served will apply for all three young men, the HRC said. They will be released in 2022.

One of the men, Ali Al-Nimr, was 17 when he was arrested in 2012 in the country’s Eastern Province for participating in a protest.