Saudi Arabian beheadings poised to double in 2015
Under King Salman's reign, someone is publicly executed every two days, including minors and the disabled.
In the first six months of 2015, Saudi Arabia’s government executed
more people—102—than all of 2014 combined. At its current trajectory,
the nation's execution rate will be at its highest level in years.
The rise of these public deaths—most often beheadings, though
occasionally firing squads or stoning are implemented—could, in part, be
attributed as backlash towards recent criticism from the international community.
Saudi Arabia’s theocratic justice system of Sharia Law permits capital
punishment for a host of offences from murder to "sorcery" or converting
to another religion.
Despite the incredibly
high rate of roughly one person every two days, Saudi Arabia does not
hold the record for most annual executions (it comes in third after
China and Iran). The accused, however, often fail to receive adequate
legal representation, or in some cases, any legal defense at all.
Two Shia activists were convicted of “sedition, rioting, protesting and
robbery” in 2014 and sentenced to death by public beheading. Ali
al-Nimr was technically underage at the time of his arrest, making his execution a violation
of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which
states that the capital punishment cannot be administered “upon those
who were under 18 years of age at the time of their crime.”
A woman believed to be suffering from mental illness was also beheaded
earlier this year. Siti Zainab Binti Duhri Rupa, an Indonesian maid,
was subjected to forceful interrogation and coerced to confess without a
lawyer present.
Amnesty International’s
report, “Killing in the Name of Justice’: the death penalty in Saudi
Arabia,” outlines rampant misconduct in Saudi Arabia’s courts.
An article by The Washington Post points out that Saudi Arabia’s execution data may be a conservative estimate. The numbers are based on slayings known to the international community and compiled by Cornell University Law School's Death Penalty Worldwide.
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