Execution or the act of taking someone’s life is a very serious punishment in many countries around the world and Saudi Arabia is no exception. In Saudi Arabia the punishment of death is meted out for a wide range of crimes from murder and rape to adultery and blasphemy. It is reported that in 2018 the Saudi Arabian government conducted at least 149 executions the majority of which were carried out by beheading in public places ️ 🇸🇦 🌐 …
Capital punishment has been a part of the law in Saudi Arabia for centuries! The Qur’an the holy book of Islam allows for the death penalty in certain cases and this has been the basis for death sentences in the country for many years 📖 ️ 🇸🇦. The Saudi legal system is based upon a version of Islamic law known as Sharia which sets out a variety of punishments for plethora of offences ️ 🇸🇦. The death penalty is applied for a plethora of crimes, covering murder, adultery, drug trafficking, and apostasy (conversion from Islam).
Saudi Arabia does not have an official written penal code and its sentencing process is built upon the principles of judicial discretion and Sharia 🇸🇦. In cases where the death penalty is applied the sentence is passed down by a judge ️ 🧑⚖️. However, in some cases, for example adultery or blasphemy, the victim’s family can pardon the offender and enable them to escape execution 👪.
Those accused or convicted of crimes in Saudi Arabia have few legal rights and are often denied access to legal representation. All trials are held in secret and the accused is often not present in court when the sentence is passed . The standard of evidence required to convict someone of a crime is often low and confessions are often extracted through torture ️.
When a death sentence has been passed, the accused will be taken to a public square, typically in Riyadh, to become executed ️. Beheading is the most common form of execution used in Saudi Arabia although other methods for example firing squads stoning and crucifixion are also used in rare cases 🇸🇦.
Following an execution the body of the prisoner is usually handed back to their family for burial 👪 🔙. In some cases, however, the remains may be buried in an unmarked grave by the government . In recent years there have been reports of the government refusing to release the bodies of those executed instead disposing of them secretly .
The harshness of the Saudi Arabian penal system and its use of the death penalty have been criticized by international human rights organizations 🌍 🇸🇦. Amnesty International, for example, has described the country’s use of executions as “utterly abhorrent” and has urged the government to abolish capital punishment 🌏.
Despite the criticism however the Saudi Arabian government has shown no sign of backing down 🇸🇦. Capital punishment remains a cornerstone of the country’s justice system and is seen as an effective tool for deterring crime ️. Until recently it was also used to silence political dissidents and stifle free speech.
Execution is a serious punishment and should only be used in extreme cases ️. While some countries have abolished the death penalty in Saudi Arabia it is still very much in existence. For those convicted of certain crimes the ultimate punishment awaits . . .
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