Saudi Arabia executed two people on terrorism-related charges, announced the Ministry of Interior on Saturday, raising the total number of executions in the kingdom to at least 100 this year, according to an AFP tally.
The two Saudis were executed for participating in “terrorist” activities, which included joining a “terrorist organisation” and attending training camps abroad to learn how to make explosives, the ministry stated.
They were tried in the competent court, which upheld the charges and ordered their execution as punishment, the statement added.
Among the 100 executed this year, 59 were convicted of drug offences, involving 43 foreigners, according to AFP’s count.
“As Saudi Arabia positions itself as a positive diplomatic player, its international partners seem ready to overlook its blatant human rights violations,” commented Jeed Basyouni from Reprieve, a rights advocacy group.
“The result? Over 100 executions since January, more than half related to non-lethal drug offences,” he further commented.
Saudi authorities resumed executions for drug-related crimes at the end of 2022 after a hiatus of about three years.
Previous AFP figures show at least 338 executions took place last year, compared to 170 in 2023, far exceeding the earlier known record of 196 in 2022.
