Ibrahim al-Huwaiti was arrested in early November 2020. His arrest is part of a crackdown on the al-Huwaitat tribe in reprisal for their vocal opposition to the NEOM project which will displace them. He was charged with establishing a terrorist cell and creating a Twitter account and using it to harm national unity. Similarly to Atallah and Shadly al-Huwaiti, he was sentenced to death by the SCC on August 5, 2022. His sentence was then upheld by the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal on January 23, 2023.
On March 16, 2023, MENA Rights Group and ALQST for Human Rights requested the urgent intervention of several UN Special Procedures mandate holders, including the Special Rapporteurs on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions and on the right to adequate housing. More specifically, we requested them to urge Saudi Arabia to repeal al-Huwaiti’s death sentence.
On April 28, 2023, seven UN Special Procedures mandate holders sent a communication to Saudi Arabia, to NEOM and to all businesses involved in NEOM, highlighting the imminent risk of execution of three persons, including Mr Al Huwaiti, and long prison convictions of three others.
