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First Third Of 2024 In Saudi Arabia: Executions Rise By 189% And Portend Another Bloody Year. At Least 71 Currently Facing Execution.

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Since the beginning of 2024 until the end of April, the Ministry of Interior in Saudi Arabia announced the execution of 55 individuals. This figure constitutes a 189% increase compared to the executions in the first third of 2023, which witnessed 19 executions. The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights views these numbers as a clear indication of the Saudi government's continued approach towards executing and issuing death sentences, and that the promises made in recent years have become elusive.

Pakistan adopts army courts in 'terror' cases

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Parliament approves establishment of military courts to hear terrorism-related cases after school massacre by Taliban.

Pakistan has voted in favour of military trials for terrorism suspects, following December's attack by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) on a military-run school that killed 148 people, mostly children.

The bill secured the vote of 242 politicians from the lower house of parliament on Tuesday, 14 more than the two-thirds majority it required.

However, several politicians from religious parties and Imran Khan's opposition Tehreek-e-Insaf party abstained.

The bill is now expected to be passed by the upper house and signed into law by the president this week.

Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's prime minister, announced 25 new counter-terrorism policies last month, in the wake of the TTP attack on a military-run school in Peshawar that killed 134 children and 16 adults.

Sharif also ended a six-year moratorium on the death penalty in terrorism cases.

Critics have argued that quick-fix measures such as military courts or reinstating the death penalty do little to improve the legal process.

The leading English-language newspaper Dawn called it a "sad day" in an editorial. It accused political leaders of being unable to defend the country's constitutional and democratic roots or resist the "generals' demands".

"Yes, we need a coherent strategy to fight militancy and political and military leaders to work together. But military courts are not the answer," Dawn said.

Source: Aljazeera, January 6, 2015

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