Saudi Arabia executed seven people for “terrorism” crimes on Tuesday, state media said, the highest number in a single day since 81 were executed in March 2022.
The seven were convicted of “creating and financing terrorist organizations and entities,” the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing the Gulf kingdom’s Interior Ministry.
Saudi Arabia, one of the countries that uses capital punishment most prolifically in the world, has executed 29 people this year.
The nationalities of the seven executed Tuesday were not revealed, but their names and titles indicated they were Saudis.
They were convicted of “adopting a terrorist approach that requires bloodshed, establishing and financing terrorist organizations and entities, and communicating and dealing with them with the aim of disrupting the security and stability of society” and endangering national security, the official news agency said. .
Saudi Arabia, one of the countries that uses capital punishment most prolifically in the world, has executed 29 people this year. The most in a single day was 81 in March 2022 (file image).
The report did not provide further details of the allegations against him.
The kingdom, famous for its beheadings, sparked a wave of condemnations around the world with 81 executions in one day in 2022.
That year Saudi Arabia executed a total of 196 people.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia executed more people than any other country besides China and Iran, Amnesty International said.
According to a count of official AFP announcements, 170 people were executed in 2023.
In September, when the number had already reached almost 100, Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director, said: “In stark contrast to Saudi Arabia’s repeated promises to limit its use of the death penalty , Saudi authorities have already executed 100 people this year, revealing their chilling disregard for the right to life.
“The relentless wave of killings by the authorities raises serious fears for the lives of young people sentenced to death who were under 18 years old at the time of the crimes.
‘Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s main executioners.
“Amnesty International has documented numerous cases where authorities have sentenced people to death for everything from a few tweets to drug-related offences, following grossly unfair trials that fall far short of international human rights standards.
“In August alone, Saudi Arabia executed an average of four people a week, including a Pakistani man who was executed for drug trafficking.
‘The death penalty is prohibited by international law for drug-related crimes, which do not fall into the category of ‘most serious crimes.’
The Arab nation clearly ignored Amnesty’s comments, and December went on to be the bloodiest month of that year with 38 executions.
Among those executed last year were 33 people accused of terrorism-related crimes and two soldiers convicted of treason.
Saudi authorities consider the executions necessary to “maintain public order” and compatible with their interpretation of Sharia law, the Islamic law code based on the teachings of the Koran.
Activists say the kingdom’s continued adoption of capital punishment harms de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to transform the world’s largest crude oil exporter into a business and tourism hub.
The executions undermine the image of a more open and tolerant society that is central to Prince Mohammed’s Vision 2030 reform agenda, activists argue.
The executions undermine the image of a more open and tolerant society that is central to Prince Mohammed’s Vision 2030 reform agenda, activists argue.
Saudi Arabia is struggling in some ways to be considered a modern country.
Tourism projects, spearheaded by Bin Salman, such as Neom and The Line are attempting to capture the West’s sense of wonder and help the country’s economic growth.
The country has also been accused of sportswashing.