In just one day, Saudi Arabia executed more people than in all of last year. According to state media reports, 81 people were executed on Saturday on charges of terrorism. They are said to have had connections to “Islamic State, al-Qaeda, the Houthis and other terrorist organizations”. Human rights activists condemned the actions of the authorities in the Gulf monarchy.
Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world. In the whole of last year, 69 death sentences were carried out in the Gulf state.
This Saturday, 73 Saudi Arabian citizens, seven Yemenis and one Syrian were executed. All 81 had been convicted by Saudi Arabian courts of “multiple heinous crimes,” the state media said. Accordingly, they are said to have planned attacks on important facilities or members of the security forces and smuggled weapons into the country. They are responsible for the deaths of civilians and security forces.
Britain-based human rights group Reprieve reported on the conflicting policies in the country: “Just last week, the Crown Prince (Mohammed bin Salman) told journalists he wanted to modernize Saudi Arabia’s criminal justice system, only to order the largest mass execution in the country’s history. “
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has announced a series of prison reforms, including a moratorium on the death penalty for drug-related offenses and the abolition of court flogging. Crimes committed by under 18s should no longer carry the death penalty.
Recent mass executions also have implications for relations with Iran. Iran complained that 41 of the 81 executed were Shiites. The Sunni Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the predominantly Shia Iran have several proxy conflicts, including in Yemen. Iran announced yesterday that it would suspend the most recent rapprochement talks with Saudi Arabia.
Austria’s Economics Minister Margarete Schramböck (VP) sets off on a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia to negotiate energy projects. She is accompanied by a large delegation.
Source: Nachrichten
