RYAD, March 13 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia executed 81 men, including seven Yemenis and one Syrian, on Saturday, the Saudi interior minister said, in the largest mass execution in the country since decades.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement that the men had been convicted on various grounds including joining militant groups or “deviant beliefs”.
“These individuals, 81 in total, have been convicted of various crimes, including the murders of innocent men, women and children,” the statement said.
“These individuals have also committed crimes in allegiance to foreign terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State, Al Quada or the Houthis”, it was specified.
The mass execution is likely to bring attention back to Saudi Arabia’s human rights record as world powers focus on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Report Aziz El Yaakoubi; French version Camille Raynaud)