GNV News, October 16, 2024

In Saudi Arabia, where the state has been accused of various human rights abuses, the number of executions carried out has surged in 2024. According to human rights NGO Amnesty International, as many as 198 people have already lost their lives to executions in 2024, the highest total since 1990.

According to the human rights NGO Reprieve, despite a pledge by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler, to reduce executions, more than 1,200 people have been put to death since he came to power in 2015. There have been cases in which the death penalty was sought for reasons such as committing drug-related offenses, same-sex relations, posting critical content on social media, or speaking to journalists. Methods such as beheading by sword and stoning are reportedly used in executions.

Learn more about human rights in Saudi Arabia → “‘A country like IS’: The reality of Saudi Arabia“

Learn more about the death penalty → “The death penalty around the world“

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Photo: Dimitris Papamitsos / Greek Prime Minister’s Office /Flickr [CC BY-NC 2.0])