Saudi Arabia executes 5, including Egyptian, for terrorism
In its biggest group execution this year, Saudi Arabia has reportedly put five people to death for allegedly carrying out a terror attack on a house of worship that killed five people and injured an unknown number of people. Four Saudis and an Egyptian were among those executed. However, the Interior Ministry's statement didn't give details about the attack or the method of execution.
Why does this story matter?
Saudi Arabia, a monarchy, reportedly has the highest rate of execution in the world, and it has been accused of carrying out unfair trials to execute dissidents and protesters. Earlier this year, the BBC reported that the execution rate in the kingdom has more than doubled since 2015, when King Salman took over and appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to key positions.
68 people have been executed this year
The latest group execution raised the number of people put to death by the kingdom this year to 68. Since May alone, Saudi Arabia has executed over 20 people for terrorism-related offenses. Last year, the kingdom executed 147 people, more than twice the number of executions in 2021. Many prisoners were reportedly executed without any advance warning to their families.
41 of 81 executed in a day were Shiites: HRW
In May, two Bahrainis were executed for terrorism. Amnesty International claimed the case was based on "torture-tainted confessions." In March 2022, 81 people convicted of terrorism were executed in a single day. At the time, Human Rights Watch said, "It is highly unlikely that any of the men received a fair trial," adding 41 of them were Shiites—a minority in the kingdom of Sunnis.
Saudi ended death penalty for minors in 2020
The recent increase in executions comes as the kingdom's de facto ruler, MBS, has allegedly been trying to whitewash Saudi Arabia's image by introducing economic and social reforms. In 2020, the kingdom ended the death penalty and abolished flogging for minors. MBS earlier said there would be no death penalty except in murder cases or those that "threaten the lives of many people."
