under ‘reformist’ bin Salman executions doubled

The complaint is contained in the latest report by Reprieve and the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights. Between 2010 and 2014 there was an average of 70.8 executions per year; between 2015 and 2022, after the accession of the crown prince, the average jumped to 129.5. The use of torture in prisons is “endemic” even with minors.

Riyadh () – Since the crown prince, and currently also prime minister, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), celebrated for his “reformist” vision of the Wahhabi kingdom in a liberal and modern key, Riyadh has almost doubled the number of executions. The assessment is contained in the report recently published by the activist group Reprieve, which accuses Saudi Arabia’s allies of being “incapable” of limiting the use of executioners and the practice of mass executions. The use of capital punishment has doubled since 2015 with more than 1,000 people executed in seven years, confirming a trend that began after King Salman’s son became number two.

According to data studied by Reprieve and ESOHR (European Saudi Organization for Human Rights), between 2010 and 2014 the average in Saudi Arabia was 70.8 executions per year. From 2015 – the year in which the crown prince became the de facto ruler of the kingdom – until 2022 there was an average of 129.5 executions per year, which represents an increase of 82% compared to the previous period.

At the same time, the authors of the study denounce the degree of deep secrecy that the kingdom maintains regarding the trials and the application of the death penalty, citing the case of the 81 people mass-executed on March 12, 2022. On the one hand , explain the activist groups, it was the third case of group homicides perpetrated under bin Salman and, on the other hand, only 12 convictions of the 81 people executed were documented in the judicial processes. “The remaining 69 men,” says ESOHR, “were tried, convicted and executed in absolute secrecy” and the total number of executions may be “greatly underestimated.”

Reprieve and ESOHR add that since 2013 at least 15 people who were minors at the time of committing the crime have been executed. Of these, 11 were executed after Mohammed bin Salman came to power. The report also documents that Riyadh has used the death penalty widely and “disproportionately” against non-Saudis. Indeed, approximately 75% of the women executed between 2010 and 2021 were foreigners and, of these, around 56% were domestic workers. employed in the homes of wealthy Saudis.

Finally, the study of the data shows that the death penalty is routinely used to silence dissidents and protesters, in violation of international law according to which the use of the death penalty is admissible – although execrable – only for those who more serious crimes. And with regard to prisons, the practice of torture is “endemic” even for underage defendants.