ISLAMABAD, JULY 18: Saudi Arabia carried out two executions of individuals found guilty of drug trafficking on Thursday, raising the country’s total execution count to at least 106 this year.
The news from the ministry was carried out by the official Saudi Press Agency. It stated that two people were executed in Makkah: one for amphetamine trafficking and the other for heroin trafficking. Following a nearly three-year break, Saudi authorities resumed executions for drug-related offenses toward the end of 2022.
Based on official data, the AFP count indicates that seven of the 106 executions this year have been tied to drug offenses.At least 170 persons were put to death by the government in 2023, 33 of them were charged with offenses relating to terrorism.The Gulf kingdom has carried out at least 74 executions by this time last year.
The European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights, situated in Berlin, denounced Saudi Arabia on Monday for carrying out “one execution almost every two days.” In defiance of international law and its declared pledges, the Saudi government continues to execute people, as seen by the 196 executions that have occurred in only one year, the statement reads.
According to the rights organization and AFP’s count, among those put to death this year are 78 Saudis, 8 Yemenis, 5 Ethiopians, 7 Pakistanis, 3 Syrians, and 1 person from each of Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Jordan, India, and Sudan. There were two females among them.
According to Amnesty International’s annual report on the death penalty for 2023, Saudi Arabia carried out more executions than any other nation save China and Iran.The monarchy, which is known for its beheadings, provoked international outrage in March 2022 when it put 81 people to death in one day.
The executions, according to the authorities, are required to “maintain public order” and are consistent with Sharia law. In an attempt to attract travelers and investors, de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is working to change the perception of the largest crude oil exporter in the world.
Activists, however, contend that the kingdom’s ongoing support of the death penalty undercuts Prince Mohammed’s Vision 2030 reform agenda’s emphasis on a more accepting and inclusive society.
