Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday that it had executed 81 people accused of crimes related to “terrorism” in a single day, a record that exceeds the total number of death sentences in 2021 in the country, reports the official news agency SPA. Those executed – 73 Saudis, 7 Yemenis and a Syrian – are accused of belonging to several “terrorist” groups, including the jihadist organization Islamic State and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, adds SPA.
Several attacks fomented, according to the agency
According to the agency, they tried to foment several attacks in the kingdom, in particular against places of worship, government buildings, as well as “vital installations for the country’s economy”. They are also accused of attempting to kill law enforcement officers and smuggling weapons.
Still according to SPA, each of the culprits was “sentenced by Saudi courts during trials supervised by 13 judges”. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world, with 69 death sentences in 2021, according to an AFP tally based on official statements.
Executions usually by decapitation
“The kingdom will continue to take a strict and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the whole world,” the SPA agency further reported. Executions in Saudi Arabia are usually carried out by beheading. For several years, the kingdom has been targeted by a series of deadly attacks perpetrated by IS. He is also the target of Houthi attacks from neighboring Yemen at war. Riyadh has supported the Yemeni government against the Houthis since 2015.
This absolute monarchy has had since 1992 a Basic Law assimilated to a Constitution, based on Sharia, Islamic law. Homicide, rape, armed robbery, witchcraft, adultery, sodomy, homosexuality and apostasy are punishable by death in the ultra-conservative kingdom.
In 2020, Saudi Arabia announced it was ending capital punishment for those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18. The executions announced on Saturday come a day after the release of blogger and human rights activist Raif Badawi who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for advocating for an end to the influence of religion on public life in Saudi Arabia. His sentence served, the former winner of the Reporters Without Borders prize for freedom of the press, aged 38, is however subject to a ban on leaving Saudi territory for the next ten years.