Abdullah al-Derazi

Extra Bio Info:

Abdullah al-Derazi is imprisoned and sentenced to death for his religious identity and for protesting religious freedom conditions.

On August 27, 2014, Tarut Island Police arrested al-Derazi in relation to his participation in protests against the state's treatment of Shi'a citizens in al-Qatif. Al-Derazi was 18 years old at the time of his arrest and accused of crimes that he allegedly committed when he was a minor. Al-Derazi was reportedly tortured, subjected to solitary confinement, forced to sign confessions, held incommunicado, and denied proper access to legal counsel. His family did not know his whereabouts until three months after his arrest. Public prosecution reportedly charged al-Derazi with several crimes, including “participating in the formation of a terrorist cell aimed at destabilizing the internal security in the country and targeting security men, participating in demonstrations and marches, attacking and destroying public property, carrying out acts of sabotage and chaos, obstructing the road and seeking to cause strife, division and division in the country, assaulting security men by throwing explosion bottles at them, blocking the road for pedestrians by burning tires, chanting anti-state slogans, participating in Ahmed Al-Matar’s funeral and organizing the funeral (distributing water during it).” At least one of the charges date back to when al-Derazi was 17 years old.

On February 20, 2018, the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced al-Derazi to death, according to MENA Rights Group.

On or around August 8, 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal upheld al-Derazi’s sentence.

In October 2023, the Supreme Court reportedly issued a ruling in secret that upheld al-Derazi’s sentence. He thus faces imminent threat of execution.