Jalal Labbad is a Saudi citizen originally from the Eastern Province (Al-Qatif), who was executed by the Saudi authorities on 21 August 2025 for alleged offences that he was accused of having committed when he was a minor. Despite being born on 3 April 1995, the authorities based his conviction on participation in peaceful protests in 2011 and 2012 against discrimination faced by the Shi’a minority in Al-Qatif and his attendance at funerals of protesters killed by security forces. These protests were part of the broader regional uprisings known as the Arab Spring. Labbad was arrested on 23 February 2017 when security forces raided his family home without a judicial warrant and detained him in connection with activities that took place when he was between 15 and 17 years old. His detention was marked by serious human rights violations, including prolonged solitary confinement, repeated torture and ill-treatment reportedly aimed at extracting confessions, and denial of effective legal representation. Despite international human rights standards prohibiting the execution of individuals for crimes committed as children, the Specialised Criminal Court convicted him on charges including participation in demonstrations, attending funerals, and alleged involvement in violent acts, and sentenced him to death on 31 July 2022. The sentence was upheld on appeal and later confirmed by the Supreme Court in a hearing held in secret without informing his family or attorneys. Human rights organisations and United Nations experts condemned his execution as a blatant violation of international law, highlighting that Saudi Arabia had ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child which explicitly forbids capital punishment for minors.