According to an NGO report, 147 executions were carried out last year
Executions in Saudi Arabia have nearly doubled under the leadership of King Salman and his son Mohammed, the kingdom’s de facto leader, according to two rights groups.
The number of executions in the Gulf monarchy rose from an average of 70.8 a year between 2010 and 2014 to 129.5 a year after the current king came to power in 2015, according to research published yesterday by the British organization Reprieve and the European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR).
In total, the current regime has imposed more than 1,000 death sentences, according to the NGOs, which say they have corroborated the official figures with investigations and interviews with lawyers, family members and activists.
The report mentions 147 executions last year, a tally that goes along with the AFP tally based on government announcements.
Last March, Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s top executioners, announced the execution of 81 people in a single day for terrorism-related crimes, sparking an international outcry.
The ultra-conservative kingdom has seen major reforms in recent years promoted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
But these reforms have been accompanied by an unprecedented crackdown on political dissent, according to human rights activists.
“Saudi Arabia’s death penalty machinery crushes children, protesters, vulnerable women who work as domestic workers, people who have become ‘bogs’ against their will, and people whose only ‘crime’ is possessing banned books or they talk to foreign journalists,” said Maya Foa, director of Reprieve.
According to the survey, the six years with the most executions in modern history were recorded under the current regime.
Since 2013, at least 15 people have been executed for crimes committed when they were minors. According to the same source, 31 women were executed between 2010 and 2021, including 23 foreigners and 13 domestic workers.
The 58-page report also alleges “systemic” torture and due process violations, including cases of unfair trial and torture of children.
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