UN Urges Riyadh to Abandon Legislative Provisions Authorizing Abuse of Children

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) called on Saudi Arabia to repeal its legislation, which authorizes violent actions in regard to children, the CRC said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, the CRC published its concluding observations on a number of countries, including Saudi Arabia, Poland, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Chile and Bangladesh among others.

"The Committee urges the State party, as a matter of utmost priority, to: Repeal all provisions contained in legislation which authorize the stoning, amputation and flogging of children, notably those contained in the Juvenile Justice Act 1975, and that no such treatment can be applied at the discretion of judges," the concluding observations of the report said.

The CRC expressed its concern that Riyadh "tries children above 15 years as adults and continues to sentence to death and to execute [underage] persons."

Riyadh has been repeatedly criticized for its human rights violations, including public beheadings and floggings, restrictions on freedom of expression and discrimination against women and children.