The authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia set a record in the execution of civilians before the end of the first quarter of 2022, as the Saudi authorities executed 100 people, a few days after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke about ending the death penalty.
In addition to the mass execution carried out by the Kingdom’s government on March 12, 2022, the Saudi authorities also executed 19 others. The Saudi authorities’’ injustice was not limited to the Saudis only, but its victims were of several nationalities, including Egyptians, Jordanians, Palestinians, Yemenis, Syrians, and Indonesians as well.
The Saudi Press Agency published information confirming that the nineteen individuals were accused of murder, as eight people – executed after the mass execution – were sentenced to death by disciplinary action, although it is customary for people facing charges of retribution to be sentenced to death.
Analysts point out that the sharp rise in executions carried out, days after Mohammed bin Salman promised to abolish death sentences, confirms fears of using the death penalty in retaliation, especially with the absence of justice. Despite promises of reform, which confirm the shortcomings of the current laws, judgments must be put on hold in cases that affect human life until a decision is made to amend the laws.
Despite the absence of any role for civil society and human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, the cases that the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights was able to document confirm the lack of justice, and the detainees’ exposure to various types of violations, including torture and ill-treatment and deprivation of legal self-defense.
The European-Saudi Organization confirmed that the death sentences that followed the mass execution are considered a challenge to the international community and international law, especially after the High Commissioner for Human Rights criticised the mass execution. Indeed, these figures confirm the increasing danger to the lives of dozens who face the death penalty, especially prisoners of conscience and political detainees like Sheikh Salman Al-Awda, or even political activists opposed to MBS’s brutal policies.
The brutality of the Saudi authorities and its crown prince is still increasing day by day, violating all international laws and norms on human rights, and confirming that promises of reforms are nothing but empty words with which Bin Salman is trying to clear the Kingdom’s image.
And there remains a question: How can anyone feel safe and secure in a country ruled by killers?
