Saudi arrested at 13 released says rights group

• Murtaja Qureiris has been detained since 2014 when he was only 13 years old.
• He was sentenced to eight years in prison for taking part in protests at the age of 10.
• Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s highest execution rates, sparking criticism from rights groups.

Saudi authorities have released a member of the country’s Shiite minority who was arrested at the age of 13 and faced the death penalty, according to a human rights group.

“Murtaja Qureiris, who has been detained since 2014 when he was only 13 years old, has been released following the expiration of his sentence,” ALQST for Human Rights said on Twitter.

Murtaja Qureiris, detained since 2014 when he was only 13, has been released following the expiry of his sentence.

Qureiris had been at risk of the death penalty, and was later sentenced to eight years on charges including participating in protests at the age of 10. #SaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/Np5nQhRjQb

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— ALQST for Human Rights (@ALQST_En) June 24, 2022

“Qureiris had been at risk of the death penalty, and was later sentenced to eight years on charges including participating in protests at the age of 10,” the London-based group added.

Murtaja Qureiris is serving an eight-year prison sentence for charges that include participating in an anti-government protest when he was only 10 years old.

We call for his release. #SaudiArabiahttps://t.co/RvXoIifie2 pic.twitter.com/FJ9pE3xm5s

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— ALQST for Human Rights (@ALQST_En) June 23, 2022

It said he “should never have been arrested”.

Amnesty International in the Gulf said it was “happy” for Qureiris and his family.

Saudi Arabia has released several young Shiite men in recent months, including Ali al-Nimr, who was arrested as a minor in 2012 for taking part in anti-government protests and received a death sentence that was later commuted.

Read More: 60 arrested in Saudi Arabia smuggling drugs

Nimr is a nephew of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was executed by Saudi Arabia in 2016, leading to the severance of diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran.

Saudi Arabia in recent years has announced a series of reforms to sentencing by the courts, including a moratorium on the death penalty for drug offenses, as well as abolishing court-ordered floggings.

In April 2020, the kingdom announced it was ending the death penalty for those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18.

Read More: Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman to visits Turkey

But the wealthy Gulf country has one of the world’s highest execution rates.

In March, it executed a record 81 people in one day for terrorism-related offences, exceeding the total number killed last year and sparking criticism from rights activists.