Saudi Arabia ramped up executions in first half of 2021: Amnesty
The kingdom executed at least 40 people between January and July 2021, more than in whole of 2020, UK-based group says.
Saudi Arabia has ramped up executions in the first half of 2021 following a drop during its G20 presidency in 2020, according to United Kingdom-based rights group Amnesty International.
The rights group said on Tuesday that the kingdom executed at least 40 people between January and July 2021 – more than during the whole of last year.
Although Saudi Arabia executed a record 185 people in 2019, the state-backed Human Rights Commission said in January that the kingdom had reduced the number of executions by 85 percent in 2020 compared with the previous year, putting the number for 2020 at 27.
Amnesty said executions had resumed immediately after Saudi Arabia handed over the presidency of the Group of 20 rich nations to Italy, with nine people executed in December 2020 alone.
“The brief respite in repression coinciding with Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the G20 summit last November indicates that any illusion of reform was simply a PR drive,” said Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
‘Grossly unfair trials’
According to the rights group, executions took place following convictions in “grossly unfair trials, marred by claims of torture during pre-trial detention leading to forced ‘confessions’ which the prosecution systematically failed to investigate.”
This included the June 2021 execution of a man for offences rights groups said he allegedly committed while under the age of 18, although Saudi Arabia has said it has abolished death sentences for many childhood crimes.
The government’s media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Amnesty’s report.
In the report, Amnesty also said there had been an increased crackdown on human rights activists and dissidents. It referred to the cases of 13 activists who were prosecuted, sentenced or had their sentences ratified after what Amnesty said were grossly unfair trials before the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC).
In the first half of the year, many people were also sentenced to many years in prison for satirical internet posts and human rights activism.
After prison, many of them expected travel bans, among other things. Such a ban was also imposed on the famous women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul. She had been given a suspended sentence of three years for her advocacy to end the ban on women driving.
At least 39 individuals are behind bars for activism, human rights work or expression of dissent in Saudi Arabia, according to Amnesty.