Saudi Arabia 'executes one person every two days'
Rampant executions under King Salman's rule fuelled by justice system 'riddled with holes', says Amnesty
Saudi Arabia is executing prisoners on a massive scale and often without legal safeguards in place, Amnesty International has warned in its latest report.
The Muslim nation is one of the most prolific executioners in the world, and there has been a marked increase in state-sponsored killings since King Salman came to power in January.
Amnesty reveals that at least 102 people were executed in the first six months of this year alone - compared with 90 in all of 2014. Executions are taking place at the rate of one every two days.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Between January 1985 and June 2015, Saudi authorities executed at least 2,200 people, nearly half of whom were foreigners. Amnesty says many of them were denied adequate translation services and were forced to sign documents they did not understand.
Despite the government's insistence that the death penalty is only applied to the "most serious crimes", it has executed people accused of a range of offences including drug possession, apostasy, heresy and witchcraft.
Amnesty highlighted the case of two sets of brothers from the same family who were killed last year after being convicted of possessing large quantities of hashish. They claimed that they had been tortured and that their "confessions" had been obtained after they were beaten and deprived of sleep.
The country's Sharia law-based justice system lacks a criminal code and is "riddled with holes", leaving definitions of crimes and punishments vague and open to interpretation, allowing judges to hand down death sentences at their discretion, the organisation says.
"The use of the death penalty is horrendous in all circumstances, and is particularly deplorable when it is arbitrarily applied after blatantly unfair trials," says Said Boumedouha, Amnesty's acting Middle East director.
"The fundamentally flawed nature of Saudi Arabia's legal system leaves the door wide open for abuse. The authorities are toying with people's lives in a reckless and appalling manner."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
New York wins WNBA title, nearly nabs World Series
Speed Read The Yankees with face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the upcoming Fall Classic
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The best ski resorts for a winter escape
The Week Recommends From the Dolomites to the Pyrenees, these are Europe's top ski destinations
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Trump does McDonald's, lauds golfer's genitals
Speed Read The former president worked the fryer at a restaurant in suburban Philadelphia
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
A brief history of third parties in the US
In Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Modern royal scandals from around the world
The Explainer From Spain to the UAE, royal families have often been besieged by negative events
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published