Youssef al-Manasif
Additional Name(s): يوسف المناسف
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Saudi Arabia
Ethnic Group: Arab
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Shi'a
Reports of Torture: Yes
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Appeal: Rejected
Sentence: Death
Date of Detainment: April/6/2017
Date of Sentencing: October/16/2022
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Children’s Rights Protesting Religious Freedom Conditions Religious Identity
Nature of Charges: Aid & Abetment Drug Trafficking & Illicit Drug Use Harboring a Fugitive Illegal Assembly Illicit Financing Terrorism Treason & Sedition
Youssef al-Manasif
Extra Bio Info:
Youssef al-Manasif is imprisoned and sentenced to death for his religious identity and for protesting religious freedom conditions.
On April 6, 2017, authorities arrested al-Manasif in relation to his participation in protests against the state's treatment of Shi'a citizens in al-Qatif. Al-Manasif was 20 years old at the time of his arrest and accused of crimes that he allegedly committed when he was a minor. Al-Manasif was reportedly tortured, subjected to solitary confinement, forced to sign a confession, and denied proper access to legal counsel. His family was only allowed to visit him five months after his arrest. Public prosecution reportedly charged al-Manasif with several crimes, including “participating in the funerals of some people who were shot dead by the security forces in demonstrations and raids…participating in demonstrations and riotous gatherings, chanting slogans, raising anti-state slogans, seeking to stir up sedition and division, destabilizing security, seeking to destabilize the national cohesion, advocating, participating and inciting sit-ins, demonstrations and gatherings that affect the unity and stability of the Kingdom, joining a terrorist cell, monitoring and shooting security men, selling narcotic pills to three security men, and covering up wanted persons” as well as “financing terrorism and terrorist acts.” At least two of the charges date back to when al-Manasif was 15 and 16 years old.
On October 16, 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced al-Manasif to death.
On November 2, 2022, the Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal upheld al-Manasif's sentence, according to MENA Rights Group
On March 9, 2023, an appeals court "ratified" the ruling against al-Manasif, according to the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights.
Sources:
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Photo used with permission from MENA Rights Group
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"Young Saudi dissident faces execution for protesting as a minor" MENA Rights Group
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"Saudi Arabia Threatens the Lives of at Least 9 Minors" European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR)
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European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, Tweet, October 18, 2022
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“Saudi Arabia calls for the imposition of Hirabah punishment against the minor Youssef Al-Manasif” European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR)