Saudi Arabia ends death penalty for children and public floggings

Rights groups have long called on the kingdom to abolish the use of the death penalty, particularly for crimes committed by minors

The decision comes on the heels of another ordering judges to end the practice of flogging, replacing it with jail time, fines or community service

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The latest royal decree by King Salman will spare the death penalty for at least six men. Photo: AP

Published: 11:33pm, 26 Apr 2020Updated: 10:49am, 27 Apr 2020

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has ordered an end to the death penalty for crimes committed by minors, according to a statement Sunday by a top official.

The decision comes on the heels of another ordering judges to end the practice of flogging, replacing it with jail time, fines or community service and bringing one of the kingdom’s most controversial forms of public punishment to a close.

King Salman’s son and heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is seen as the force behind the kingdom’s loosening of restrictions and its pivot away from ultraconservative interpretations of Islamic law known as Wahhabism, which many in the country still closely adhere to.

In the face of some domestic opposition, the crown prince has sought to modernise the country, attract foreign investment and revamp Saudi Arabia’s reputation globally. He’s also overseen a parallel crackdown on liberals, women’s rights activists, writers, moderate clerics and reformers. The 2018 killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey by agents who worked for the crown prince drew sharp criticism internationally.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Photo: AP

The latest royal decree by King Salman will spare the death penalty for at least six men from the country’s minority Shiite community who allegedly committed crimes while under the age of 18, including Ali al-Nimr, who had took part in anti-government protests.