DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission says three young men who faced death sentences for acts they were accused of committing as minors have been handed a 10-year prison sentence instead. The youths from Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority were detained separately in 2012 on charges stemming from their participation in anti-government Shiite protests that rocked the country’s eastern province and later faced beheading. The move comes nearly a year after Saudi Arabia ordered an end to the death penalty for crimes committed by minors. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is the force behind the kingdom’s efforts to modernize the country and loosen restrictions.
