It was reported on 22 August that that the Saudi authorities had executed Jalal Labbad on 21 August 2025 for crimes ‘allegedly committed when he was under 18 years of age,’ as a child.
Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International’s Middle East Campaigner, responded to the news by saying:
“Saudi Arabia’s execution of Jalal Labbad is deplorable and underscores the devastating toll of the authorities’ ruthless use of the death penalty in complete disregard of one of the most absolute prohibitions to its use. The imposition of the death penalty for crimes allegedly committed by people when they were children is prohibited under international human rights law and customary international law.”
It has been further noted that:
“While detained from February 2017 to December 2017, authorities severely tortured Labbad and placed him in solitary confinement for a total of nine and a half months over the course of two separate occasions, reportedly to coerce him into making statements. Labbad was reportedly hospitalized more than once in relation to his torture after suffering from frequent fainting, low blood pressure, weak heartbeat, and severe swelling in his right thigh.”
Jabal Labbad is just one of countless victims of torture in recent years, in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and so many other countries in the world. Indeed, it was reported in 2023 that torture was commonly used across the Middle East and across large swathes of East Africa.
So, when I was given the opportunity to run in the Great North Run, for ‘Freedom from Torture,’ which helps torture victims and works to end torture across the world, I thought it was worth giving it a go …
The Great North Run 2025
Taking part in the Great North Run can be an overwhelming experience so, having got to the Haymarket in Newcastle, I took some time-out with a free cup of coffee at St Thomas’ Church.
I couldn’t spend too long there, as I needed to get into the right place. I was in the ‘Pink Wave,’ the last wave to start, as befitted someone of my, let’s say seniority. I soon found there was a huge queue for the ‘Pink’ Gate, in what to me was a new system, different to the other nine times I have done the Great North Run.
Faster runners were in ‘Green’ or ‘Orange’ groups, with the elite and club runners going off first in their own stripy waves. It really is an incredible and very efficient logistic exercise, just getting 65,000 runners started.
It took at least 15 minutes to get through the ‘Pink’ Wave gate. As I have noticed when taking part in previous Great North Runs, nearly all the runners near the back are charity runners; which always moves me as a signal of the great feeling of human warmth that there is still around, even in these dark times. There were people running for a variety of good causes and perhaps most poignantly, some were clearly taking part in memory of loved ones, and had attached photos to their t-shirts with the dates of their lives.
The early runners were on their way while we moved to the starting point. It was almost certain that the winner would have reached the Finishing Line before I even started.
Before the start, I noticed it clouding over with the threat of rain, and I saw a man running carrying a Palestinian flag. Two women were dressed as ovaries, presumably raising money for an ovarian cancer charity. There was also a man dressed as a bear – I didn’t envy him, thinking how hot it can get on the Great North Run.
Before the start I got talking to the woman next to me, who was running for the first time at the age of 69. I said that she had been correct to go on the left-hand side of the road, as the right-hand side had to go over the flyover on the northbound side of the Central Motorway. We both decided that we could do without having to go up an incline, even at the beginning. It also turned out that we had been in the same pub after the Miners’ Gala and even the same room …
I enjoyed running to the Tyne Bridge, with large crowds around and great support from the people along the route – and I ended up eating a lot of jelly babies!
I passed one man towards the end, who seemed to be struggling a bit, as indeed I was. He told me that he was 80 years old and was taking part in his 40th Great North Run.
As ever, the sporadic appearance of ambulances served as a warning to not push myself too much but just keep going. The rain in South Shields didn’t improve my mood and nor did the long incline through Harton.
The last mile was long; it is easy to think that you are finished when you go down the steep hill at the Marsden Inn in South Shields, but there is another mile to go before the inevitable relief at finishing.
Then it was picking up the medal, which it later turned out had the wrong map on it, and then on to the long queue for buses back to Newcastle. Including families and spectators as well as runners, there must be well over 100,000 people at the Finish during the afternoon. Again all went smoothly, and I was soon on my way back to the Haymarket, where the day had begun eight hours earlier.
Comment
All in all, completing the Great North Run was an uplifting, if tiring experience. It was uplifting in a number of ways. Firstly, there was all the wonderful and generous support from those who lined the streets of Gateshead and South Tyneside, a community coming together to support something positive without feeling the need to wave flags or shout obscenities.
Secondly, it was of course the number of runners; both running for good causes, and also the breadth of causes they supported. It was notable that there were local, national, and international causes being championed, which seemed to me to just right. And it was a reminder to those who trot out the depressing trope of ‘charity starts at home,’ and who argue that we should only help those immediately around us; that perhaps what the ‘saying’ really means is that charity does indeed begin at home, but then can spread to include all humanity. This certainly seems to be the case with regards to the Great North Run, as teams of supporters representing different charities cheered and encouraged all the runners.
Meanwhile in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia the torture sadly goes on, but at least some of the victims can expect a little more support as a result of the Great North Run having taken place.
You can donate and learn more about the work of ‘Freedom from Torture’ here.
You can donate to Peter’s fundraising page here.
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