Dubai, Jul 7 (AP) Executions in Saudi Arabia have reached an unprecedented high, according to Amnesty International. Activists are increasingly concerned about the kingdom’s application of the death penalty, particularly in nonviolent drug cases.
Amnesty International reported on Monday that Saudi Arabia executed 345 people last year, marking the highest number recorded by the organization in over 30 years. Within the first half of this year, 180 individuals have already been executed, suggesting the record may be broken once more.
This year, approximately two-thirds of those executed faced convictions on non-lethal drug charges, as highlighted by Reprieve, another activist group. Amnesty International has also expressed apprehensions about executions related to drug offenses.
Saudi Arabia has not provided any explanation regarding its escalating use of the death penalty. Saudi officials did not respond to The Associated Press when asked about their rationale behind deploying the death penalty for nonviolent drug charges.
These executions contradict statements made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's primary leader, who in 2022 indicated he had limited the use of the death penalty to homicide cases only.
"Regarding the death penalty, we abolished it all, except for one category that is prescribed in the Quran, which we are unable to alter even if we wished, due to its clear teachings," the prince stated to The Atlantic.
Drug cases rise as a primary factor in Saudi executions Saudi Arabia, along with countries like Iran, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, imposes the death penalty for drug-related crimes. However, Saudi Arabia is among the world’s leading executioners, following China and Iran, with drug cases significantly contributing to this status.
Amnesty documented 25 cases involving foreign nationals currently on death row or recently executed for drug-related offenses. In these situations, it was noted that those on death row were unfamiliar with the legal system, unsure of their rights, and had little to no legal representation.
Foreign nationals encounter added challenges in securing a fair trial in Saudi Arabia, as emphasized by Amnesty International. According to Reprieve, over half of those executed this year in the kingdom were foreign nationals.
An Egyptian named Essam Ahmed, for example, vanished in 2021 while working on a fishing vessel in Sinai. His family was informed a month later of his detention in Saudi Arabia and impending execution for drug trafficking charges. Ahmed claims the boat's owner forced him at gunpoint to carry a package.
"We're living in terror, frightened every morning," said Ahmed's family member, who spoke with the AP anonymously, fearing for the case's outcome. "Every day at 9 am, we dread they might execute him without notifying us.” The family member added, "We’re numb, essentially dead. Death would be easier... They didn’t even give me an opportunity to defend him, and I’m clueless on how to proceed.”
Executions persist amid 'Vision 2030' initiative Human rights organizations have long criticized Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, expressing concerns despite rapid societal changes under King Salman and the crown prince. While the kingdom has advanced women’s rights, like allowing women to drive, it has also arrested women's rights advocates.
In its pursuit of foreign investments, the kingdom has simultaneously imprisoned businesspeople, royals, and others, under a corruption crackdown resembling a shakedown of its influential figures.
In 2021, amid the crown prince’s criminal justice reforms, Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission announced a temporary halt to drug-related executions. This moratorium lasted less than three years before being inexplicably lifted.
These executions occur as Saudi Arabia pushes forward with bold reforms to diversify its economy under the “Vision 2030” initiative.
Jeed Basyouni, director of Reprieve’s Middle East and North Africa program, argued that Prince Mohammed could quickly change Saudi Arabia's execution policies.
"He could authorize mass pardons. He could mandate legal revisions to comply with international law," said Basyouni. "The billions spent on purported reforms promoting a more tolerant Saudi Arabia under the crown prince's regime conceal an authoritarian state where daily drug crime executions have become commonplace." (AP)
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