Saudi Arabia has been accused of lying to the United Nations after it told a committee on children’s rights that it does not sentence juveniles to death.

Saudi Arabia’s oral testimony to the committee in Geneva runs contrary to its written evidence, which admits that minors can be sentenced to death for several offences under Islamic law.

It also contradicts the cases of several prisoners sentenced to death, and, in some cases, executed, for crimes committed when they were juveniles.

Saudi Arabia has come under intense international criticism for death sentences handed down to three young men — Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood al-Marhood — arrested for taking part in anti-government protests in 2012 when they were juveniles.

Another juvenile, Ali al-Ribh, whose case