Five Executed for Deadly Saudi Worship Attack: Largest Group Execution of the Year
State media reported that on Monday, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia executed five individuals convicted of carrying out a deadly attack on a place of worship, the largest group execution this year.
The five men, four Saudis and one Egyptian were tried for an attack that killed five people and injured an untold number of others in the kingdom’s east, where the majority of its oil and Shia minority reside.
The official Saudi Press Agency did not specify when the attack occurred or what type of place of worship was targeted in a statement from the interior ministry.
It did not specify the method of execution, but the kingdom has in the past carried out beheadings.
This brings the total number of people executed by Saudi Arabia to 68. Rights groups frequently criticize Saudi Arabia for its extensive use of the death penalty.
Since the beginning of May, more than twenty people have been executed for terrorism-related offenses, the vast majority in the eastern province.
In late May, authorities executed two Bahrainis convicted of terrorism in a case that, according to Amnesty International, hinged on “confesses tainted by torture.”
ALSO READ: CCTV Bust: Man Caught Breaking Into Lover’s Home
According to an AFP tally, Saudi Arabia executed 147 people in total in 2018 — more than double the figure of 69 for 2021.
The figure for 2022 included 81 people executed for terrorism-related offenses on a single day in March of that year, an event that sparked international outrage.
According to a report published earlier this year by Reprieve and the European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, more than one thousand death sentences have been carried out since King Salman assumed power in 2015.
Human Rights Organization.
Saudi Arabia, which is known for its strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, has been attempting to soften its image by implementing sweeping social and economic reforms as part of its “Vision 2030” initiative.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of King Salman and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, stated in an interview with The Atlantic magazine that the kingdom had “eliminated” the death penalty except in cases of murder or when a person “threatens the lives of many people,” according to a transcript published by state media in March 2022.
Five Executed for Deadly Saudi Worship Attack: Largest Group Execution of the Year
HEY READER. PLEASE SUPPORT THIS SITE BY CLICKING ADS. DON’T FORGET TO HIT THE NOTIFICATION BELL FOR MORE UPDATES AROUND THE GLOBE.
