Saudi Arabia: Human rights activists: More executions in Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, the number of executions of the human rights organization Amnesty is increasing internationally. Among the executed people of the past few years are many foreign citizens who have been convicted of drug -related offenses, according to a report published by the organization today. These included people from Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, Yemen as well as Egypt and Somalia.

“We are experiencing a truly horrific trend in which foreign citizens are being executed at a frightening pace for crimes for which the death penalty should never be intended,” said Kristine Beckerle, who is responsible for the region at Amnesty. Behind the “progressive image” that the country wants to radiate worldwide is a “dark and deadly reality”.

In Saudi Arabia, around 1,800 people were executed from 2014 to the middle of the current year. Almost every third of them were convicted of drug offenses, said Amnesty today. Within this group there are three quarters of the convicted nationals of other countries. In June this year alone, 46 people were executed – 37 of them because of drug offenses.

The death penalty is also continued regardless of drug offenses. The journalist Turki al-Jassir, which was arrested, according to the human rights organization ALQST 2018, was also executed this year. Al-Jassir had dealt with topics such as women’s rights and corruption. According to Alqst, he was accused of “terrorism” and the endangerment of national security.

Last year there were 345 executions in Saudi Arabia and, according to Amnesty, as many as they have not been for more than three decades. The government had previously announced that it would no longer use the death penalty in some cases. Because of the practice, the country is internationally criticized despite the efforts to open up more for tourists and investments. In 2034, the World Cup will be organized in Saudi Arabia.