Saudi Arabia | The third and largest mass execution massacre during the reign of King Salman and his son

12 March، 2022 -- Today, March 12, 2022, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia carried out the largest massacre of mass executions during the reign of King Salman bin Abdulaziz: 81 people, including 7 Yemenis and one Syrian.

Although the victims were not tried collectively as part of a joint lawsuit, the Saudi Ministry of Interior filed general accusations against them in a statement it published, stating that: "They embraced the misguided thought, deviant methods and beliefs with external loyalties and hostile parties, and pledged allegiance to them for corruption and misguidance, so they committed terrorist acts, such as killing, violating sanctities, and targeting places of worship, and government headquarters."

The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights believes that this massacre is a flagrant violation of international laws and it is a complete torpedo of the allegations made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his interview with The Atlantic a few days ago, in which he said that Saudi Arabia got rid of the death penalty, except for the category of those involved in the murders.

ESOHR documented some of the cases of these victims, but it has not been able to monitor the rest due to the lack of transparency in dealing with execution cases, threats, and intimidation of families and civil society. The documentation of several cases confirmed that the charges did not include any serious charges, and some of them related to participation in demonstrations demanding justice and human rights.

Public beheading in Saudi Arabia (Warning: Graphic Content)

The Ministry of Interior claimed in a statement that:" the defendants were prosecuted before a competent court, were empowered with the guarantees, and all the rights guaranteed to them by the regulations in the Kingdom.” ESOHR had documented flagrant violations of fair trial standards, including denial of access to a lawyer, exposure to torture, and denial from communicating with the outside world.

In addition, the United Nations, through its various mechanisms, had contacted the Saudi government about the cases of some of those who were executed, including Asaad Shuber and Muhammad al-Shakhouri, and confirmed that their trials involved several violations, including torture and the lack of adequate self-defense.

ESOHR believes that the third mass massacre during the reign of King Salman bin Abdulaziz is a continuation of the bloodshed that characterized this era, far from official attempts to whitewash the image of the government. The organization stresses that the mass execution confirmed that this punishment is strictly subject to the political decision, and there is no possibility of holding the tormentors and violators accountable.

The organization considers that this massacre reinforces the lack of any seriousness or confidence in official promises, and it also raises concerns for the lives and safety of individuals who are still facing the death penalty, including minors, especially since this massacre, in which 81 people were killed, was preceded by two massacres in 2016 that affected 47 people And in 2019, it affected 37 people.

Source: esohr.org, Staff, March 12, 2022

Mass execution of 81 men in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia today announced that it had killed 81 men in a mass execution. This is the largest mass execution in the country's modern history. It comes a week after comments by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman were published in The Atlantic, promising to modernise the Kingdom's criminal justice system.

Reprieve Deputy Director Soraya Bauwens commented:

“The world should know by now that when Mohammed Bin Salman promises reform, bloodshed is bound to follow. Just last week the Crown Prince told journalists he plans to modernise Saudi Arabia’s criminal justice system, only to order the largest mass execution in the country’s history.

There are prisoners of conscience on Saudi death row, and others arrested as children or charged with non-violent crimes. We fear for every one of them following this brutal display of impunity.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to visit Saudi Arabia soon, to beg for Saudi oil to replace Russian gas. We cannot show our revulsion for Putin’s atrocities by rewarding those of the Crown Prince. Johnson must speak up and condemn these killings. “

Ali Adubusi, Director of the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, commented:

"We have details on some of the cases, and according to official documents, not a drop of blood is found in the charges of many of these men.

These executions are the opposite of justice. Some of these men were tortured, most trials were carried out in secret.

This horrific massacre took place days after Mohammed bin Salman had declared that executions would be limited. It is the third such mass killing in the seven year reign of King Salman and his son."

47 men were executed on January 2, 2016, and a mass execution of 37 prisoners was carried out on 23 April 2019, including six who were children at the time of their alleged offences.

Source: Reprieve, Staff, March 13, 2022

🚩 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com.

Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Florida | After nearly 50 years on death row, Tommy Zeigler seeks final chance at freedom

The Winter Garden Police chief was at a party on Christmas Eve 1975 when he received a phone call from his friend Tommy Zeigler, the owner of a furniture store on Dillard Street. “I’ve been shot, please hurry,” Zeigler told the chief as he struggled for breath. When police arrived at the store, Zeigler, 30, managed to unlock the door and then collapsed “with a gaping bullet hole through his lower abdomen,” court records show. In the store, detectives found a gruesome, bloody crime scene and several guns. Four other people — Zeigler’s wife, his in-laws and a laborer — lay dead.

Singapore executes three drug mules over two days

Singapore hanged three people for drug offences last week, bringing the total number of executions to 17 this year - the highest since 2003. These come a week before a constitutional challenge against the death penalty for drug offences is due to be heard. Singapore has some of the world's harshest anti-drug laws, which it says are a necessary deterrent to drug crime, a major issue elsewhere in South East Asia. Anyone convicted of trafficking - which includes selling, giving, transporting or administering - more than 15g of diamorphine, 30g of cocaine, 250g of methamphetamine and 500g of cannabis in Singapore will be handed the death sentence.

Afghanistan | Two Sons Of Executed Man Also Face Death Penalty, Says Taliban

The Taliban governor’s spokesperson in Khost said on Tuesday that two sons of a man executed earlier that day have also been sentenced to death. Their executions, he said, have been postponed because the heir of the victims is not currently in Afghanistan. Mostaghfer Gurbaz, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Khost, also released details of the charges against the man executed on Tuesday, identified as Mangal. He said Mangal was accused of killing members of a family.

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers carry out public execution in sports stadium

The man had been convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including children, and was executed by one of their relatives, according to police. Afghanistan's Taliban authorities carried out the public execution of a man on Tuesday convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including several children, earlier this year. Tens of thousands of people attended the execution at a sports stadium in the eastern city of Khost, which the Supreme Court said was the eleventh since the Taliban seized power in 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of US and NATO forces.

Oklahoma board recommends clemency for inmate set to be executed next week

A voting board in Oklahoma decided Wednesday to recommend clemency for Tremane Wood, a death row inmate who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next week at the state penitentiary in McAlester. Wood, 46, faces execution for his conviction in the 2001 murder of Ronnie Wipf, a migrant farmworker, at an Oklahoma City hotel on New Year's Eve, court records show. The recommendation was decided in a 3-2 vote by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, consisting of five members appointed by either the governor or the state's top judicial official, according to CBS News affiliate KWTV. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Sitt will consider the recommendation as he weighs whether to grant or deny Wood's clemency request, which would mean sparing him from execution and reducing his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Louisiana death row inmate freed after nearly 30 years as overturned conviction upends case

A Louisiana man who spent nearly 30 years on death row walked out of prison Wednesday after a judge overturned his conviction and granted him bail. Jimmie Duncan, now in his 60s, was sentenced to death in 1998 for the alleged rape and drowning of his girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter, Haley Oliveaux — a case long clouded by disputed forensic testimony. His release comes months after a state judge ruled that the evidence prosecutors used to secure the conviction was unreliable and rooted in discredited bite-mark analysis.

Vietnam | Woman sentenced to death for poisoning 4 family members with cyanide

A woman in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam was sentenced to death on Thursday for killing family members including two young children in a series of cyanide poisonings that shocked her community. The Dong Nai People's Court found 39-year-old Nguyen Thi Hong Bich guilty of murder and of illegally possessing and using toxic chemicals. Judges described her actions as "cold-blooded, inhumane and calculated," saying Bich exploited the trust of her victims and "destroyed every ethical bond within her family."

Burkina Faso to bring back death penalty

Burkina Faso's military rulers will bring back the death penalty, which was abolished in 2018, the country's Council of Ministers announced on Thursday. "This draft penal code reinstates the death penalty for a number of offences, including high treason, acts of terrorism, acts of espionage, among others," stated the information service of the Burkinabe government. Burkina Faso last carried out an execution in 1988.

Iran carries out public hanging of "double-rapist"

Iran on Tuesday publicly executed a man after convicting him of raping two women in the northern province of Semnan. The execution was carried out in the town of Bastam after the Supreme Court upheld the verdict, the judiciary's official outlet Mizan Online reported. Mizan cited the head of the provincial judiciary, Mohammad Akbari, as saying the ruling had been 'confirmed and enforced after precise review by the Supreme Court'. The provincial authority said the man had 'deceived two women and committed rape by force and coercion', adding that he used 'intimidation and threats' to instil fear of reputational harm in the victims.

Utah | Ralph Menzies dies on death row less than 3 months after his execution was called off

Judge was set to consider arguments in December about Menzies’ mental fitness Ralph Menzies, who spent more than 3 decades on Utah’s death row for the 1986 murder of Maurine Hunsaker, has died. Menzies, 67, died of “presumed natural causes at a local hospital” Wednesday afternoon, according to the Utah Department of Corrections. Matt Hunsaker, Maurine Hunsaker’s son, said Menzies’ death “was a complete surprise.” “First off, I’d say that I’m numb. And second off, I would say, grateful,” Hunsaker told Utah News Dispatch. “I’m grateful that my family does not have to endure this for the holidays.”

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog