The seven men were arrested in early 2006. During their interrogation at the Criminal Investigation Department in Abha, they have since said they were severely beaten, denied food and water, deprived of sleep, forced to remain standing for 24 hours and then forced to sign “confessions”. They were detained for three and a half years in Abha General Prison before they went on trial.

The Abha General Court found all seven guilty of armed robbery in August 2009 and sentenced them to death. Their trial lasted only a few hours, and they were denied any legal representation or appeal. Security officers who were present at the trial warned them that if they withdrew their “confessions” they would be tortured again, and members of their families, including their mothers, would be brought to prison and tortured in front of them.