Saudi Arabia is executing prisoners on a massive scale and often without legal safeguards in place, Amnesty International has warned in its latest report.
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.
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."
-
West End Girl: a ‘tremendously touching’ break-up albumThe Week Recommends Lily Allen’s unfiltered new work is ‘littered with relatable moments’
-
Are car headlights are too bright?The Explainer 82% of UK drivers concerned about being ‘dazzled’ as LED bulbs become more common
-
What you need to know about last-minute travelThe Week Recommends You can book an awesome trip with a moment’s notice
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Israel-US 'rift': is Trump losing patience with Netanyahu?Today's Big Question US president called for an end to Gaza war and negotiated directly with Hamas to return American hostage, amid rumours of strained relations
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
