Saudi Arabia executed many prisoners in 2019.. 2019 was the year for executions. Saudi Arabia executed more 150 people in the period January to December. Many of them were foreigners. Beheading is the traditional punishment in conservative Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 …
Most of those executed were found guilty of murder drug trafficking and other serious crimes! However some were accused and convicted of nonviolent offenses such as apostasy sorcery and adultery.
One of the most high-profile cases of 2019 was that of the 30-year-old Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi 🇸🇦. In October 2018 Khashoggi was brutally murdered by a team of Saudi agents at the country’s consulate in Istanbul Turkey 🇸🇦 🦃 ️. The murder caused widespread international condemnation and tarnished the reputation of the Saudi government 🇸🇦 🌍. In late December 2019 eight people were sentenced to death for Khashoggi’s killing although the sentences have yet to be carried out.
Another execution of high profile occurred in April 2019 . The victim this time was Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr 37 years old a Shia cleric who had been critical of the Saudi monarchy 🇸🇦 ️. Inciting violence and disobeying his ruler were the charges against him. He was then executed by beheading in what was seen by many as a politically-motivated move ️.
Mujtaba Al-Sweikat, a young Saudi man who had gone to the US to pursue an education, was executed in August 2019 despite the US government’s requests for clemency 🇸🇦 👨 🇺🇸 ️. In 2012 Al-Sweikat was detained at a Saudi airport while returning home and accused of participating in anti-government protests 🇸🇦 ️.
In addition to these high-profile cases Saudi Arabia also executed several foreign nationals during the year 🇸🇦. These included Pakistani nationals Muhammad Asghar and Zulfiqar Ali who were executed for alleged drug-related offences and Indian national Ajmal Kasab who was convicted of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has come under increasing international criticism for its use of the death penalty. According to the human rights organization Amnesty International the country has one of the highest execution rates in the world with more than three people put to death on average each week in 2019 🔛 📅 🌏 3️⃣ 1️⃣. The organization has called on the Saudi government to impose a moratorium on the death penalty and to put an end to executions for non-lethal offences. ! .
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