According to a new report by Reprieve, a U.K. human rights group, the death rate in Saudi Arabia doubled during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s first eight months in power.
Reprieve said that the number of people executed have doubled. There were 133 executions in the kingdom between June 2017 and March 2018, compared to just 67 in the eight months prior. Among those executed were scores of poor migrants who had allegedly been coerced into smuggling drugs.
The watchdog said that the country continues to the among the top five executing states in the world. It reported that there have 700 executions in Saudi Arabia since 2014.
Number of people put to death this year accounts to nearly 13 people in a month – including seven in a single day. The foreign workers, mostly from South Asia, were among nearly 150 executions in the desert kingdom during 2018. Among those executed were scores of poor migrants who had allegedly been coerced into smuggling drugs.
Reprieve noted that when he became crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman had claimed he would be getting rid of the death penalty for drugs offenses.
While in conversation with Time Magazine last April, Sakan said, “We’re trying to minimise executions.”
“If a person kills a person, they have to be executed in our law. But there are a few areas that we can change it from execution to life in prison.”
Despite this pledge, the number of people executed for drug offenses has actually gone up since he came into office. The state continues to execute drug offenders at an alarmingly high rate, and at least 30 people – including some arrested as teenagers, face imminent execution for exercising their democratic rights.
