Its literally a sword that hangs over all of us, any one who dares to defy him, said one Saudi royal in exile in Europe. It referred to the cases of 13 activists who were prosecuted, sentenced or had their sentences ratified after what Amnesty said were grossly unfair trials before the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC). [9] The bodies of two of the executed men were publicly displayed on a pole for several hours as a warning to others. [2][6] The executions were carried out by beheading,[4][7] and two of the bodies were left on public display. - Pakistan is already lobbying, say reports, Iran is executing 15000 protestors? According to The New York Times, the war in Yemen, the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist in a Saudi consulate in 2018, the execution of minors, and a crackdown on dissent have thwarted Saudi Arabia's efforts to create a clean image in recent years. Facing execution for practicing free speech At the end of March 2022, Saudi Arabian academic Hassan al-Maliki is scheduled to appear before the SCC, in a resumption of his trial where he could face a death sentence on charges relating to his freedom of expression. The faiths of the prisoners were not disclosed. Human Rights Watch has documented rampant and systematic abuses in Saudi Arabias criminal justice system that make it highly unlikely that defendants, including Abu al-Khair, received a fair trial. Proceeding with Abu al-Khairs execution just a day after the case was apparently raised by a senior UK government official demonstrates the shocking disregard Saudi officials have for human rights and their unbridled impunity.. The country's execution rate has almost doubled since 2015 - according to a new human rights report - the year . By The Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed 81 people convicted of crimes ranging from killings to belonging to militant groups, the largest known. Hassan al-Maliki and Salman Alodah should be immediately and unconditionally released. "The kingdom will continue to take a strict and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the entire world," the report added. We talk about how important human rights and civil liberties are in Ukraine, and rightly so we have to hold the same standard to other countries as well, especially if those countries are talking about reforming and modernising. July 28, 2023. Impact of Hollywood strikes being felt across the pond, Israelis stage massive protests after government pushes through key reform, Ledecky breaks Phelps' record for most individual world titles, Judge blocks Arkansas law that allows librarians to face criminal charges, Ukraine moves Christmas to distance itself from Russian Orthodox Church, Mega Millions jackpot hits $1 billion mark, Twitter, now called X, reinstates Kanye West's account, 4 killed, 2 hurt in separate aircraft accidents near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Swift's "Eras" tour concerts cause seismic activity in Seattle, Notre Dame cathedral reconstruction project takes a big leap forward, Deadly fire erupts on cargo ship carrying 500 EVs in the North Sea, Maps show where the Canadian wildfires are burning. In the last six years there have also been slight increases in numbers of executions of children, women and foreign nationals, as well as mass executions and executions for non-lethal offences. An error occurred while subscribing your email address. Thats where we are now., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. [9] The executions, which were carried out by beheading,[4][7] were conducted in the capital Riyadh, the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the central province of Al-Qassim, Shia-populated Eastern Province and the southern province of Asir. [1] According to al-Sweikat's father, who defended him in court, the case against Mujtaba was intended to "create the illusion of a terror cell", which in reality did not exist. There is no credible evidence that such executions by the state have a greater deterrent effect on crimes than prison terms. He was given a choice between signing a false confession or returning to the investigation; he chose to sign the false confession to avoid further torture. There is no credible evidence that such executions by the state have a greater deterrent effect on crimes than prison terms. Original . First published on March 12, 2022 / 10:01 AM. Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3)nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808. The rate of executions carried out by Saudi Arabia has almost doubled under the rule of the de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, with the past six years being among the bloodiest in the Kingdom . Capital punishment is unique in its cruelty and finality, and it is inevitably and universally plagued with arbitrariness, prejudice, and error. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged the authorities in a statement released following Saturday's mass execution, to "bring the . The accused were provided with the right to an attorney and were guaranteed their full rights under Saudi law during the judicial process, which found them guilty of committing multiple heinous crimes that left a large number of civilians and law enforcement officers dead, the Saudi Press Agency said. Amnesty said executions had resumed immediately after Saudi Arabia handed over the presidency of the Group of 20 rich nations to Italy, with nine people executed in December 2020 alone. Saudi Arabias de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman. There are other problems that are taking place around the world. Kuwait did not carry out executions from January 2017 until16November 2022, when it executed seven people four Kuwaiti men, a Syrian man, a Pakistani man, and an Ethiopian woman claimingthat this would deter crime. The UN human rights chief has condemned the beheading of 81 people by Saudi Arabia during the course of a single day, charged with terrorism-related offences. Sheikh Mohammad Attiya was pressured to sign a confession against his will. Share this via Telegram Saudi Arabia executed 81 men in one day in the largest mass execution in recent memory. Saudi Arabia has executed 81 people in the past 24 hours, the largest execution in the kingdom's modern history, for crimes ranging from killings to alleged links to foreign terrorist groups. He was re-sentenced to death for charges of murder and armed robbery. Please give now to support our work, Court Ignored Allegation He Confessed to Drug Charge Under Torture, Share this via Facebook A spokesperson from the UKs Foreign Office told Middle East Eye that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, Lord Ahmad, raised Abu al-Khairs case with Saudi authorities at a ministerial level as recently as 11 March, the day before al-Khair's execution. But court filings show some executed men protested their innocence", "Saudi Arabia Executes 37 in One Day for Terrorism", "Saudi Arabia carries out 'chilling' mass execution of 37 people for 'terrorism offences', "Saudi Arabia executes 37 people on terrorism-related charges", "Saudi Arabia: Mass Execution of 37 Men Most from Shia Community, Convicted in Unfair Trials", "Saudi Arabia executes 37 citizens over alleged terrorism offences", "Saudi Arabia's callous disregard for fundamental human rights of its citizens", "Saudi executions: Dozens killed included some arrested as juveniles", "Inside the Saudi town that's been under siege for three months by its own government", "Saudi Arabia: Renewed Protests Defy Ban", "Saudi Arabia: Trial of Riyadh protester 'utterly unwarranted', "Reform activists in Saudi Arabia must receive fair appeal hearings", "Saudi Arabia Executes 37 Citizens, Drawing Fire from Rights Groups", "U.N. 'strongly condemns' Saudi Arabia's beheading of 37 people in mass executions", "Saudi regime executed 37 people: Here is who they were", "Saudi Arabia executes 37 people on terrorism allegations: report", "Growing Concerns Over Saudi Arabia's Rights Abuses", "After a wink at the dismembering of a journalist, not a whisper from the Trump administration when Saudi Arabia beheads 37 men in one dayeven crucifying one two days after Easter. By using this site, you agree we can set and use cookies. They show the effects of torture on my body.". The 1979 seizure of the Grand Mosque remains a crucial moment in the history of the oil-rich kingdom. This year alone, 10 people have been beheaded there 87 people were executed last year and 78 people were executed there in 2013, placing Saudi Arabia behind only Iran and Iraq in terms of the sheer volume of state sanctioned executions. The kingdom's last mass execution came in January 2016, when the kingdom executed 47 people, including a prominent opposition Shiite cleric who had rallied demonstrations in the kingdom. The number of death penalty cases being carried out in Saudi Arabia had dropped during the coronavirus pandemic, though the kingdom continued to behead convicts under King Salman and his assertive son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. At least 39 individuals are behind bars for activism, human rights work or expression of dissent in Saudi Arabia, according to Amnesty. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior announced that 81 individuals were executed on Saturday in the country's largest mass execution in decades. Alodah was held in solitary confinement for the first five months of his detention, in breach of international standards such as the Nelson Mandela Rules, with no contact allowed with his family or a lawyer apart from one brief call a month after his arrest. The Saudi Interior Ministry in a statement revealed the names of all the 81 men who were executed for crimes including murder and links to foreign terrorist groups, as well as the vaguely worded offence of monitoring and targeting officials and expatriates.. Such a shocking number of deaths also reveals Saudi Arabias lack of transparency in death penalty cases since we know that the number of trials resulting in prisoners being placed on death row is always significantly higher than what is publicly reported. Amnesty International calls on the Kuwaiti authorities to immediately establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.. Our aim to empower people to explore their world. Share this via Reddit The rear doors on the vans were now open. It wasn't clear why the kingdom choose Saturday for the executions, though they came as much of the world's attention remained focused on Russia's war on Ukraine. In all cases documented by Amnesty International, individuals were sentenced following grossly unfair trials, many of which were marred by claims of torture during detention, which the prosecution failed to investigate in violation of Saudi Arabias international obligations. Between 2015 and 2022, an average of 129 executions were carried out each year. In 2018, Crown Prince bin Salman said his administration was looking to "minimise" capital punishment and only execute people found guilty of murder or manslaughter. In 2019, the kingdom beheaded 37 Saudi citizens, most of them minority Shiites, in a mass execution across the country for alleged terrorism-related crimes. The OHCHR released a statement in November 2022 on the alarming rate of executions in Saudi Arabia after it ended a 21-month unofficial moratorium on the use of the death penalty for. Those executed included seven Yemenis and one Syrian who were convicted of crimes such as allegiance to foreign terrorist organisations and the murdering of innocent men, women and children, the state-run Saudi Press Agency announced on Saturday. With our Global headquarters in New Delhi, we bring you news on the hour, by the hour. In what is being called the biggest mass execution in Saudi Arabia's history, the Middle-Eastern state recently executed 81 people, which included those convicted of murders, members of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Which language would you like to use this site in? The conflict involves peaceful protestors as well as armed confrontations between residents and Saudi authorities, siege barricades erected by the authorities in Awamiyah and attempted destruction of residential areas by the authorities. Abbas al-Hassan was accused of spying for Iran and physically tortured by beatings and sleep deprivation as well as psychologically tortured by threats to arrest his family. The kingdom executed at least 40 people between January and July 2021, more than in whole of 2020, UK-based group says. The death toll even surpasses the 1980 mass execution of the 63 militants who were convicted of seizing the Grand Mosque in 1979, the worst-ever militant attack to target the kingdom. The states use of executions as a political tool to stifle critics is a rampant miscarriage of justice, said Lynn Maalouf. But there are medical reports from the prison hospital of Dammam and I ask your honor to summon them. The executions in Kuwait are part of a disturbing upward trend in executions by the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council in recent years. English Summary: The convict who killed his father was executed in Saudi Arabia. Hosted by Matina Stevis-Gridneff. The kingdom's rulers soon further embraced Wahhabism, an ultraconservative Islamic doctrine. Saudi border guards searched Abu al-Khair's car and found three bags with over 200,000 amphetamine pills hidden in the fuel tank. Gulf News Sports News in Malayalam . Responding to the hanging of five people by the Kuwaiti authorities yesterday including one convicted of a drug-related offence, Rawya Rageh, Amnesty Internationals Interim Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: The Kuwaiti government has now executed a dozen people in less than a year, claiming a to be tough on crime approach that panders to peoples worst instincts. Mass killings are a common occurrence in Saudi Arabia, with many hundreds of killings taking place each year. Ukrainian-organised peace summit hosted by Saudi Arabia in August. Facing execution for practicing free speech. More than 2000 people were executed in Saudi Arabia between 1985 and 2013. Those who were killed had been convicted of a range of crimes, including murder, belonging to militant groups like al-Qaeda and backing Yemens Houthi rebels. He remains on trial awaiting a verdict. In 2014 they executed a total of 87, up from 78 in 2013, which saw the conservative kingdom record the third highest number of . And if we take our eyes off those, then there could be all kinds of accusations and issues about human rights and civil liberties being curtailed, are ostensibly under the banner of security.. Despite Saudi promises to limit the use of the death penalty, the authorities have marched ahead with executions at an alarming rate, said Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch. Recorded executions in 2022 reached the highest figure in five years, as the Middle East and North . The total number of individuals sentenced to death on similar charges is likely much higher. The Associated Press. Every weekday, get the worlds top human rights news, explored and explained by Andrew Stroehlein. In early 2021, the Saudi Arabian authorities announced changes in relation to the death penalty, including a moratorium on executions for drug-related crimes, which are death sentences handed down at the judges discretion rather than mandated under Sharia law. In 2019, the kingdom beheaded 37 Saudi citizens, most of them minority Shiites, in a mass execution across the country for alleged terrorism-related crimes. The number of individuals executed for similar charges could be higher. Amnesty International calls on the Saudi Arabian authorities to put an immediate halt to executions, establish an official moratorium on all executions and initiate legislation that would totally abolish the death penalty for all crimes. In August 2018, Salman Alodah was brought to trial before the SCC in a secret session, where he was charged on 37 counts, including calling for freedom of expression and political reforms in Saudi Arabia. In its penal system, executions remain standard fare. Abu al-Khair did not have access to a lawyer before or during the trial, the family member said. [6], Both the 14 of the Qatif 24 case and 11 in the Iran spy case had been convicted by the Specialized Criminal Court,[6] which conducts trials for alleged terrorists and human rights activists. Most of the slain prisoners were Saudis, the agency said. The rate of executions carried out by Saudi Arabia has almost doubled under the rule of the de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, with the past six years being among the bloodiest in the Kingdoms modern history, a report has found. But while there was already little room for dissent under the Kingdoms absolute monarchy, Prince Mohammed has taken intolerance to new levels, with political and business rivals subject to mass detention and financial shakedowns, and family members of officials that have fled the country being detained for use as leverage to get them back to the kingdom. On 2 October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a US-based journalist known for his critical reportage of Saudi Arabia's government was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Those put to death were convicted of drugs crimes and the desert kingdom has so far executed Amnesty International calls on the Kuwaiti authorities to immediately establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. On 12 March last year, up to 81 men were put to death an all-time high number of executions, in what activists believe was a pointed message from the Saudi leadership to dissenters, among them tribal groups in the countrys eastern provinces. But unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 14 March 2022 Human Rights. The figure dropped to just eight in 2020 as it hosted the G20 presidency but it has ramped them up in the first half of this year. Yusuf Abdullah al-Omri was pressured into signing a confession by being insulted and slapped. Most of them were drug smugglers convicted of non-violent crimes. Following the worldwide condemnation, Crown Prince bin Salman in 2020 vowed that the kingdom will minimize death sentences and executions will be given only in violent crimes as prescribed in Islam. The group - including seven Yemenis and one Syrian national - were convicted of "multiple heinous. The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, and a violation of the right to life. Mujtaba al-Sweikat was tortured and signed a false confession. Despite the Saudi authorities' commitment to end their use of the death penalty against children under 18 at the time of the crime, seven young men are at risk of imminent execution after an appeals court confirmed their punishment, Amnesty . SAUDI Arabia has begun a fresh wave of executions with 15 beheaded in the last 12 days, campaigners say. 81 people executed in a single day in Saudi Arabia. In another case, Asad Ali, also executed on Saturday, had been sentenced to death by the SCC on 30 January 2021 for similar offences. The kingdom is considered one of the leading exponents of capital punishment in the region, with only Iran thought to execute more people a year. Saudi activists told Human Rights Watch that 41 of the men belonged to the countrys Shia Muslim minority, who have long suffered systemic discrimination and violence by the government. In anticipation, I began to feel my heart thump, and wished I hadn't worn jeans in the 40 C heat. This included the June 2021 execution of a man for offences rights groups said he allegedly committed while under the age of 18, although Saudi Arabia has said it has abolished death sentences for many childhood crimes. On 23 April 2019, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia carried out a mass execution of 37 imprisoned civilians who had been convicted, 21 on the basis of confessions allegedly obtained under coercion and torture,[1][2] for terrorism-related allegations in six provinces in the country. [3] [4] [5] Fourteen of the people executed had been convicted in . Dr Sajjan Gohel explains what the executions mean for Saudi Arabia and international peace. Ali said he was denied medical treatment despite suffering from acute pain. [16], One of the executees, Hussein al-Humaidy, was severely pressured prior to his sentencing and execution. Amnesty International has documented the cases of at least 30 further individuals at risk of execution after being sentenced to death after unfair trials on wide-ranging charges arising from their opposition to the government or participation in anti-state protests, drug smuggling, violent attacks or murder. In January 2015, a Saudi court convicted Abu al-Khair of attempting to smuggle amphetamine pills into Saudi Arabia and later sentenced him to death. Share this via Printer. The judge accepted the original confession as evidence and sentenced Abu al-Khair to death in January 2015. Saudi Arabia says it executed 81 men on Saturday - more than during the whole of last year. Although Saudi Arabia executed a record 185 people in 2019, the state-backed Human Rights Commission said in January that the kingdom had reduced the number of executions by 85 percent in 2020 compared with the previous year, putting the number for 2020 at 27. Human rights groups have widely condemned the executions, which follow Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's promises to reform the country's criminal legal . Jafar Sultan and Sadiq Thamer, both Bahraini citizens, were handed discretionary death sentences on 7 October 2021 over terrorism-related charges, including the smuggling of explosives, receiving military training in Iran, and participating in protests in Bahrain that called for the government to be overthrown. Their conviction was upheld by the Appeals Court in January 2022 but could still be overturned by the Supreme Court. Saudi Arabia has previously carried out two mass executions in recent years, though neither of them on the same scale: In 2019, 37 people were executed, the majority of whom were Shia men convicted after sham trials; in 2016, 47 people were executed including prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. It said that the fourteen executees among the "Qatif 24" were all charged with "joining a terror cell" and all denied the charge. We provide much more than the news of the day. [8] Among the executions was that of a young man who was convicted of a crime that took place while he was under the age of 18, Abdulkareem al-Hawaj, a young Shi'a man who was arrested at the age of 16 and convicted of offences related to his involvement in anti-government protests. [1] Nine among the executees who provided forced confessions and/or were tortured included the following:[1][2], Mujtaba al-Sweikat was a minor at the time of his arrest on 12 August 2012, while trying to fly to the United States to study at Western Michigan University. [8] According to Amnesty International, many of the families of Shia Muslims executed in the mass execution had not been informed in advance[15] and were shocked to learn of the news. Al-Shakhouri told the court he suffered bruising and severe pain in his back, ribs and mouth after being tortured. US intelligence agencies, however, believe the crown prince also ordered the slaying and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, while overseeing airstrikes in Yemen that killed hundreds of civilians. [8][15] According to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, "at least three of those killed were minors at the time of their sentencing", in violation of international law that prohibits the use of the death penalty against anyone under the age of 18. The OHCHR released a statement in November 2022 on the alarming rate of executions in Saudi Arabia after it ended a 21-month unofficial moratorium on the use of the death penalty for drug-related offenses. The kingdom will continue to take a strict and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the entire world, the report added. However, U.S. intelligence agencies believe the crown prince also ordered the slaying and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, while overseeing airstrikes in Yemen that killed hundreds of civilians. Last year, 147 people were executed 90 of them for crimes that were considered to be nonviolent. A moratorium on capital punishment for drug crimes was recently lifted. The mass execution of 81 individuals, Saudi and non-Saudi citizens, on Saturday signals an appalling escalation in Saudi Arabias use of the death penalty, Amnesty International said today, bringing the countrys tally of executions to 92 so far in 2022 alone. US intelligence agencies, however, believe the crown prince also ordered the slaying and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, 305 million sale of Newcastle Football club to Saudi owners, 'Unacceptable': UN condemns airstrike that killed 'at least 80' in Yemen prison, Bieber urged not to sing in Saudi Arabia by Khashoggi's fiance. The presiding judge refused to refer to a videotape of the confession. May 16, 2023. The death penalty is seen as one of the new regimes more visceral tools. . Mr Putin signed a new naval doctrine casting the US as Russia's main rival and setting out Moscow's . Kuwaits Office of Public Prosecutionannounced on Twitteron 27 July that the five executed were: Abdul-Aziz al-Mutairi, a Kuwaiti national convicted of premeditated murder; Gamal Ibrahim, an Egyptian national convicted of premeditated murder; Ahmad Shibrim, described only as an illegal resident and convicted of premeditated murder; Abdul-Rahman Saud, also described only as an illegal resident and convicted of facilitating logistics for the 26 June 2015 suicide bombing of the Shia Imam al-Sadeq mosque in Kuwait City, which killed 26 people and injured over 200 and was claimed by Islamic State; and Jodi Ravindra, a Sri Lankan convicted of possessing with intent to traffic and use intoxicating and mind-altering drugs. The figure represents an 82% increase on the period 2010-14. Critics of King Salman and his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the capital punishment was unjust and secretive. Rate of executions in Saudi Arabia almost doubles under Mohammed bin Salman. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. In April 2019, it executed 37 men, at least 33 of whom were Shia and had been convicted following unfair trials for various . The last announced mass killing came in January 2016 when the kingdom executed 47 people including a prominent opposition Shiite cleric. Photo: Sabq. Six countries abolished the death penalty fully or partially. [1][2], On 23 April 2019, Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry stated that Saudi men had been executed that day for the "terrorism related crimes" of "adopting terrorist and extremist thinking and [of] forming terrorist cells to corrupt and destabilize security". Saudi Arabia executes 81 men, including seven Yemenis and one Syrian, in the kingdom's biggest mass execution in decades, the interior ministry says. Its either that, or being disappeared. We deliver information that is not biased. Perhaps Saudi Arabia feels that it has an advantage now against the West, and that they can push through their own policy and agenda without feeling inhibited, says Dr Gohel, a terrorism analyst and guest lecturer at the London School of Economics. This execution spree is all the more chilling in light of Saudi Arabias deeply flawed justice system, which metes out death sentences following trials that are grossly and blatantly unfair, including basing verdicts on confessions extracted under torture or other ill-treatment, said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty Internationals Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
latest execution in saudi arabia
