Mustafa al-Darwish

Mustafa was an Afro-Saudi from eastern Saudi Arabia. He followed Shia Islam, a minority and persecuted sect of Islam in his country. He was arrested 2015 for his involvement in 2012 protests, most of the Arab Spring uprisings were over before September 2012, before Mustafa turned 18. He was kept in isolation for six months after he was arrested and only made his confession after he was beaten so badly he passed out.[1]

On 15 June 2021, the Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia announced that it executed him after being charged with forming a terror cell and trying to carry out an armed revolt at the age of 17.[2] He was detained since May 2015 for participating in anti-government protests. For years, he was placed in solitary confinement and was brutally beaten several times. During the trial, Al-Darwish told the court that he was tortured to confess the charges against them, and only confessed after being beaten so badly that he passed out. Despite all the facts, he was sentenced to death and was ultimately beheaded.[3][4] On 8 June 2021, Amnesty International had urged the Saudi authorities to “immediately halt all plans to execute Mustafa al-Darwish”, stating that the “death penalty is an abhorrent violation of the right to life in all circumstances”.[5]