State media says men were convicted by court which has been criticised for punishing activists and protesters under guise of terrorism
Seven Saudi men were executed on Tuesday, the highest number put to death in one day since 81 were killed in March 2022.
The Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) convicted the men on terrorism charges, accusing them of betraying “their homeland, threatening its stability and endangering its security”, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, citing the Interior Ministry.
The men’s names were listed in the SPA announcement, which is often the only information released about executions in the kingdom, but with little further detail.
Riyadh has now executed 31 people this year, after putting at least 172 people to death in 2023, rights groups monitoring executions in Saudi Arabia have said.
There were no public records or media reporting of any of the cases of the men executed on Tuesday, the European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) and UK-based Reprieve told Middle East Eye.
read more: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-puts-7-men-death-largest-execution-years
While I can’t comment on whether this ruling is just, official news doesn’t say much beyond that they were terrorists who were arrested. Terrorist attacks have happened in Saudi Arabia, by ISIS, Alqaeda and sympathizers, and were directed against government officials, security forces, religious minorities and foreigners.
I’m personally against sentencing death regardless of what they did, especially in cases like Saudi Arabia where they have more than enough money to handle imprisoning people for life. Call me a crypto-catholic, but I don’t think killing people is good if it can be avoided, which in this case it definitely could have been.
What makes that crypto-catholicism?
I’m personally opposed to the capital punishment even if people are guilty without any doubt. It has a very huge flaw in being irreversible in case justice failed. But Sharia permits it, even requires it, and the majority of Saudis want Sharia law even if they disagree with court decisions.
Saudi just started selling Alcohol.
They’re as Islamic is America is Christian.
During the second world war all resistance in my country was labeled as terrorists. Just saying…
Executions are never just