Saudi Arabia: two men executed for terrorism offenses

Saudi authorities on November 14, 2026 executed Fadel Al-Safwani and Jawad Qureris in the Eastern Province as ta’zir (discretionary) punishment. Some charges against Qureris concerned acts allegedly committed when he was a minor.

The Saudi Ministry of Interior accused both men of terrorism-related offenses, including attacks on security forces and weapons possession, without specifying individual charges or disclosing supporting evidence.

SANAD Human Rights Organization warns that discretionary death sentences and the lack of fair-trial guarantees raise serious concerns about the use of counterterrorism laws against political detainees.

In September 2025, UN experts had warned about Qureris and three other detainees facing execution, noting that their detention had been deemed arbitrary.

These executions follow the execution of five political detainees on October 17, bringing the number of politically motivated executions documented by SANAD in 2026 to 17.

SANAD calls for an immediate halt to political executions and urges international action to protect detainees facing death sentences, particularly those prosecuted for acts allegedly committed as minors.