The number of executions almost doubled in Saudi Arabia since, in 2015, the Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salmanson of King Salman, came to power.
He revealed it a report by Reprieve and the European Saudi Organization for Human Rightstwo non-governmental organizations that are constantly dealing with the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia.
At least 1,243 executions were recorded between 2010 and 2021. In 2022 there were at least 147 more, 81 of them in a single day, March 12. Those were the bloodiest years from 2015 to 2019 and from 2021 to 2022con an average of 129.5 executions per yearan increase of 82 percent over the previous five-year period.
The adverb “at least” is necessary. The Saudi authorities maintain total secrecy on capital trials, death sentences and executions. Human rights organizations do a huge effort to gather information and it is quite possible that their data is at fault.
The death penalty in Saudi Arabia is foreseen for numerous crimes: murder, drug trafficking and drug dealing, crimes of a sexual nature, forming or belonging to a criminal enterprise or an outlawed group, kidnapping, sedition, treason and other crimes against state security, witchcraft and sorcery.
Massive use of capital punishment, almost always inflicted by hanginggoes with irregular processeskept behind closed doors, with limited access to the defence, allegations based on evidence obtained under torture, absence of interpreting services for foreign defendants and appellate proceedings that are little more than the final stamp on previous judgments.
Foreign citizens executed in the period considered by the report were at least 490almost 40 percent of the total.
They were during the same period hanged 31 women: three quarters were foreigners and in 56 percent of the cases they were domestic workers, sentenced to death for murder often for having killed the employer who subjected them to sexual violence.