Saudi king orders end to death penalty, floggings for minors

King Salman of Saudi Arabia has ordered an end to the use of the death penalty for minors one day after issuing a decree stopping the practice of flogging.

The new decree comes as six Shiite men face charges related to incidents that occurred before they turned 18, including Ali al-Nimr, whose participation in anti-government protests led to terrorism-related charges, according to The Associated Press.

The kingdom executed Abdulkareem al-Hawaj on terrorism charges last year for participation in public protests when he was 16 years old, the AP noted.

Prosecutors will now review all cases involving minors and drop penalties for those who have already served 10 years. Terrorism-related cases involving minors will be tried differently, according to the news service, which added that it was not immediately clear whether the 10-year maximum would apply.

The ban will help Saudi Arabia create “a more modern penal code and demonstrates the kingdom’s commitment to following through on key reforms,” Awwad Alawwad, president of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, said in a statement Sunday.

Alawwad said “more reforms will be coming” and that both the death penalty ban and the flogging ban “reflect how Saudi Arabia is forging ahead in its realization of critical human rights reforms even amid the hardship imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the AP.

The king issued a decree in late 2018 establishing the 10-year maximum for minors convicted of all offenses except for capital crimes.

“This step, if true, needs to nullify current death sentences of all children,” Ali al-Ahmed, a Saudi rights activist in Washington, told the AP.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has announced several reforms in an effort to improve the kingdom’s international reputation and head off criticism by human rights groups, including relaxing restrictions on women driving. But the 2018 killing of dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi Consulate in Turkey hurt Riyadh’s standing internationally. The crown prince has denied ordering Khashoggi’s killing.