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Persecution of Human Rights Activists
Despite promises of reforms, the arrests and persecutions rate of human rights activists kept rising. Amnesty international and Human rights watch continued to criticize Saudi government for its violations of human rights. Saudi activists and dissidents currently serving long prison terms based solely on their peaceful activism include Waleed Abulkhair, Mohammed al-Qahtani, Abdullah al-Hamid, Fadhil al-Manasif, Sulaiman al-Rashoodi, Abdulkareem al-Khodr, Fowzan al-Harbi, Raif Badawi, Saleh al-Ashwan, Abdullah al-Hamid, Alaa Brinji, and Nadhir al-Majed. Some of those activists have been accused for Activists Issa al-Nukheifi and Essam Koshak are currently on trial. In late July, 2017 a Saudi appeals court upheld an eight-year prison sentence against Abdulaziz al-Shubaily. Mohammed al-Oteibi and Abdullah Attawi are still on trial for forming a human rights organization in 2013. On 10 November 2017, the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia sentenced Internet activist Naima Al-Matrood  to six years in jail followed by six years of travel ban after her sentence is served.

Executing Peaceful Protesters
Among those executed in 2016 were Ali Sa’eed al-Ribh, whose trial judgment indicates that he was under 18 at the time of some of the crimes for which he was sentenced to death. As a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Saudi Arabia is legally obliged to ensure that no one under 18 at the time of a crime is sentenced to death or to life in prison without the possibility of release. Ali al-Nimr,  Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood al-Marhoon, were arrested individually in 2012 aged 17, 16 and 17 respectively are at risk of being executed at any time. On 10 July, 2017 Abdulkareem al-Hawaj   had his death sentence upheld on appeal. He was found guilty of crimes committed when he was 16. The four young men were convicted of security-related offences after taking part in anti-government protests.

Using Counterterrorism Law to Prosecute Human Rights Defenders
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Mr. Ben Emmerson, visited Saudi Arabia from 30 April to 4 May 2017. In his report, Saudi uses its terrorism tribunal and counterterrorism law to unjustly prosecute human rights defenders, writers, and peaceful critics. The report states:

"the Special Rapporteur would like to share some observations, concerns and recommendations with regard to the unacceptably broad definition of terrorism, and the use of the 2014 counter-terrorism law and other national security provisions against human rights defenders, writers, bloggers, journalists and other peaceful critics. He would also like to raise the continuing problems relating to the prevention of torture of terrorist suspects during investigation; the reported use of confessions obtained by duress during interrogation, the use of the death penalty following proceedings in which there are reported due process shortcomings".

He has been accused of risking instability in the Middle East through his detention of human rights activists, intervention in Yemen, escalation of Saudi's diplomatic crisis with Qatar, as well as his arrests of members of the Saudi royal family in November 2017. His proposed Saudi 2030 vision includes economic, social and religious changes, and plans to list shares of the state oil company Aramco.

Persecution of Human Rights Activists
Despite promised reforms, the arrests and persecutions rate of human rights activists has kept rising under Mohammed bin Salman. Amnesty international and Human rights watch continue to criticize Saudi government for its violations of human rights. Saudi activists and dissidents currently serving long prison terms based solely on their peaceful activism include Waleed Abulkhair, Mohammed al-Qahtani, Abdullah al-Hamid, Fadhil al-Manasif, Sulaiman al-Rashoodi, Abdulkareem al-Khodr, Fowzan al-Harbi, Raif Badawi, Saleh al-Ashwan, Abdullah al-Hamid, Alaa Brinji, and Nadhir al-Majed. Activists Issa al-Nukheifi and Essam Koshak are currently on trial. In late July, 2017 a Saudi appeals court upheld an eight-year prison sentence against Abdulaziz al-Shubaily. Mohammed al-Oteibi and Abdullah Attawi are still on trial for forming a human rights organization in 2013. On 10 November 2017, the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia sentenced Internet activist Naima Al-Matrood  to six years in jail followed by six years of travel ban after her sentence is served.

Executing Peaceful Protesters
Among those executed in 2016 were Ali Sa’eed al-Ribh, whose trial judgment indicates that he was under 18 at the time of some of the crimes for which he was sentenced to death. As a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Saudi Arabia is legally obliged to ensure that no one under 18 at the time of a crime is sentenced to death or to life in prison without the possibility of release. Ali al-Nimr,  Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood al-Marhoon, were arrested individually in 2012 aged 17, 16 and 17 respectively are at risk of being executed at any time. On 10 July, 2017 Abdulkareem al-Hawaj   had his death sentence upheld on appeal. He was found guilty of crimes committed when he was 16. The four young men were convicted of security-related offences after taking part in anti-government protests.

Use of Counterterrorism Law to Prosecute Human Rights Activists
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Mr. Ben Emmerson, visited Saudi Arabia from 30 April to 4 May 2017. In his report, Saudi uses its terrorism tribunal and counterterrorism law to unjustly prosecute human rights defenders, writers, and peaceful critics. The report states:

"the Special Rapporteur would like to share some observations, concerns and recommendations with regard to the unacceptably broad definition of terrorism, and the use of the 2014 counter-terrorism law and other national security provisions against human rights defenders, writers, bloggers, journalists and other peaceful critics. He would also like to raise the continuing problems relating to the prevention of torture of terrorist suspects during investigation; the reported use of confessions obtained by duress during interrogation, the use of the death penalty following proceedings in which there are reported due process shortcomings".