Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, February 27, executed seven men who were convicted on terrorism-related charges.
This is the highest number executed in a single day since 81 people were put to death in March 2022.
The executed men are— Ahmed bin Saud bin Saghir Al-Shammari, Saeed bin Ali bin Saeed Al-Wadaei, Abdul-Aziz bin Obaid bin Abdullah Al-Shahrani, Awad bin Mushabab bin Saeed Al-Asmari, Abdullah bin Hamad bin Majoul Al-Saeedi, Mohammad bin Haddad Bin Ahmed bin Mohammad, and Abdullah bin Hajis bin Ghazi Al-Shammari.
In a statement posted on X, the Saudi Ministry of Interior said that the Specialised Criminal Court (SCC) has accused the men of betraying “their homeland, threatening its stability, and endangering its security.”
The ministry explained that the defendants adopted a terrorist approach that calls for bloodshed, establishing and financing terrorist organizations, and communicating with them to disrupt societal security and national security.
It affirmed the Kingdom’s government’s keenness to establish security, achieve justice, and implement the provisions of Islamic Sharia “in all those who assault the innocent, shed their blood, and violate their right to life.”
Taking to X, the European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) said that none of the individuals were charged with murder, and the sentence is likely disciplinary.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia executed 196 death row inmates, with 81 executed in a single day, marking the highest number of capital punishments in the country’s history.
In 2023, Saudi Arabia executed 170 people.
In Saudi Arabia, the increase in the number of executions was mainly for terrorism-related offences and the resumption of executions for drug offences.
Saudi Arabia has carried out more than a thousand executions since King Salman bin Abdulaziz came to power in 2015, according to a joint report by Reprieve, an anti-death penalty non-governmental organization based in Britain, and the European-Saudi in 2023.
Saudi authorities defend the death penalty despite international condemnation, claiming it is necessary for public order and justified under Sharia law.
