02 July 2024 :

The death penalty of Kozhikode native Abdul Rahim who is currently jailed in Saudi Arabia has been officially scrapped, Mathrubhumi web site reported on July 2, 2024.
The order was issued by a criminal court in Riyadh.
Earlier, a ‘Blood Money’ of Rs 34 crores was handed over to the family of the boy who was allegedly killed by Rahim. After receiving the money, in return, the kin of the deceased informed the court of their willingness to forgive Rahim.
The court proceedings were conducted online. The court verified all the documents pertaining to the case before scrapping the death penalty. Rahim is likely to be released from jail on July 4. Some days ago, in a display of solidarity and compassion, people in Kerala had rallied together to raise an astounding Rs 34 crore to save the man sentenced to death.
The action committee, formed to work for the release of Rahim, could initially raise only a meagre amount, but as the campaign intensified, help poured in from Malayalees across the globe, providing much-needed support to the organisers.
Rahim was jailed in 2006 after he accidentally caused the death of a specially-abled boy whom he was taking care of.
He was sentenced to death in 2018 after the family of the Saudi boy refused to grant amnesty.
The action committee members had informed the media that their appeals were being rejected by the top courts; they had stated that the boy’s family was willing to pardon Rahim if he pays the 'blood money.’
Learning of the incident, more than 75 organisations in Riyadh, Kerala-based businessman Bobby Chemmannur, various political organisations in the state and several common people helped to raise the money. Rahim’s mother had said that she had never thought that such an amount could be raised. "I had no hope as we have no means to raise Rs 34 crore. But somehow it was all made possible," she said. Bobby Chemmanur organised multiple events to raise money. He also organised the sale of one of his products and donated the whole amount to the cause. The action committee had created a mobile application to ensure transparency in the matter.

18 November 2024 :

Saudi Arabia has executed more than 100 foreigners this year, indicating a sharp increase which one rights group said was unprecedented, AFP reported on November 17, 2024.
The latest execution, on November 16 in the southwestern region of Najran, was of a Yemeni national convicted of smuggling drugs into the Gulf kingdom, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
That brought the number of foreigners executed so far in 2024 to 101, according to state media reports.
This is almost triple the figures for 2023 and 2022, when Saudi authorities had put to death 34 foreigners each year.
The Berlin-based European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) said this year’s executions had already broken a record.
“This is the largest number of executions of foreigners in one year. Saudi Arabia has never executed 100 foreigners in a year,” said Taha al-Hajji, the group’s legal director.
Saudi Arabia has faced persistent criticism over its use of the death penalty, which human rights groups have condemned as excessive and out of step with efforts to soften its forbidding image and welcome international tourists and investors.
The oil-rich kingdom executed the third highest number of prisoners in the world after China and Iran in 2023, according to Amnesty International.
In September, Saudi Arabia carried out its highest number of executions in more than three decades, surpassing its previous highs of 196 in 2022 and 192 in 1995.
Executions have continued at a rapid clip since then and totalled 274 for the year as of November 17.
Foreigners executed this year have included 21 from Pakistan, 20 from Yemen, 14 from Syria, 10 from Nigeria, nine from Egypt, eight from Jordan, and seven from Ethiopia.
There were also three each from Sudan, India, and Afghanistan, and one each from Sri Lanka, Eritrea, and the Philippines.
In 2022 the kingdom ended a three-year moratorium on the execution of drug offenders, and executions for drug-related crimes have boosted this year’s numbers.
There have been 92 such executions so far this year, 69 of them of foreigners.
Diplomats and activists say that foreign defendants usually face a higher barrier to fair trials, including the right to access court documents.
Foreigners “are the most vulnerable group”, said Hajji of the ESOHR.
Not only are they often “victims of major drug dealers” but also “subjected to a series of violations from the moment of their arrest until their execution,” he said.
Saudi Arabia is notorious for beheading those convicted of capital crimes, although official statements tend not to mention the method of execution.
The persistently high number of executions undercuts statements by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who told The Atlantic in 2022 that the kingdom had eliminated the death penalty with the exception of murder cases or when an individual posed a threat to many lives.

25 September 2024 :

A Saudi court has overturned the death sentence of a former teacher over social media posts made from anonymous accounts with 10 followers, a UK-based human rights group reported on August 7, 2024.
The kingdom's Specialised Criminal Court gave Mohammed al-Ghamdi the death sentence in July 2023 over tweets, including some which focused on unemployment and calling for the release of political prisoners.
On August 7, Sanad, a UK-based group advocating for Ghamdi, said it had learned from sources inside the kingdom that the Court of Appeal had cancelled the sentence. 
"No new sentence has been issued against him yet," the organisation said.
In an interview with Fox News last September, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman acknowledged that Mohammed al-Ghamdi had been a victim of "bad laws", which he said should be changed.
"Shamefully, it's true," the crown prince said of Ghamdi's death sentence. "It's something I don't like."
However, rights advocates have pointed out that the counterterrorism law under which Ghamdi was tried was part of sweeping reforms the crown prince instigated when he rose to power. 

05 December 2024 :

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh to death on charges of drug trafficking, triggering panic and despair among his family members who have pleaded for clemency, PTI reported on December 4, 2024.
Meerut Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vipin Tada on December 4 confirmed receiving a letter in this regard from the Indian consulate in Saudi Arabia via the district administration.
"The letter said Zaid Junaid, a resident of Rachauti village under the Mundali police station area, has been sentenced to death by a court in Mecca for drug smuggling. His family members have been informed about the option of filing a mercy plea," the SSP said.
A notice was also pasted at the entrance of the family house to ensure they were aware of the situation.
Zaid's father Zubair, a farmer, and mother Rehana became inconsolable on hearing the news.
His elder brother Suhail said, "My father has already requested the Indian government to file a mercy plea with the Saudi authorities. The application was submitted on December 3." Aged around 35 and the second of seven brothers, Zaid moved to Saudi Arabia in 2018 to work as a driver for a company.
Initially employed by one firm, he later joined Al-Zafar Company, his family members said.
His troubles began when his vehicle was stolen, and was recovered by Saudi police three days later. Subsequently, the vehicle got damaged in a road accident, leading his employer to file a lawsuit to recover the costs.
Unable to bear the financial burden, Zaid left the company and began working as the personal driver for a Saudi police officer, the family said.
However, three months into his new job, Zaid was allegedly implicated in a drug smuggling case after police claimed to have found 700 gm of narcotics from the vehicle he was driving, the family said.
He was arrested on January 15, 2023, and has been imprisoned at the Jeddah Central Jail since then.
"My brother has been framed. He was just doing his job as a driver. We hope the Indian government intervenes and saves his life," Suhail said.
Zaid's father Zubair said, "We've never faced such trouble before. All we want now is Zaid to return alive." Another elder brother of Zaid, Naeem Khan Faisal, who also works as a driver in Saudi Arabia, is in touch with the family to the coordinate efforts for his release.

24 October 2024 :

Saudi Arabia executed seven individuals on October 23, 2024, including five for drug trafficking, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The executions bring the total number carried out this year in the Gulf kingdom to 236, based on an AFP tally using official statements.
Yahya Lutfullah, Ali Azib, Ahmed Ali, and Salem Nahari were executed in the southern province of Asir for “smuggling hashish” into the country, the interior ministry stated in a report published by SPA.
The report identified all four as Yemeni nationals.
Also on October 23, the same source reported the execution of a Pakistani man for drug trafficking, raising the number of people executed in the kingdom for that offence this year to 71.
Saudi Arabia has emerged as a major market for captagon, an addictive amphetamine drug being smuggled from war-torn Syria and Lebanon.
Saudi authorities launched a high-profile anti-drug campaign last year, leading to numerous raids and arrests.
Executions for drug trafficking have surged since a moratorium on the death penalty for such offences was lifted two years ago.
The interior ministry also announced the execution of two Saudi nationals for murder on October 23.
In 2023, Saudi Arabia ranked third globally for the number of executions, following China and Iran, according to Amnesty International, which began recording annual figures in 1990.
Riyadh’s use of capital punishment has been widely criticised, with human rights organisations arguing that it is excessive and inconsistent with the kingdom’s efforts to present a more modern image internationally.
Saudi authorities have previously defended the death penalty as necessary for “maintaining public order”, emphasising that sentences are only carried out once “defendants have exhausted all levels of litigation”.

09 September 2024 :

According to the Saudi Ministry of Interior, an Afghan national named Abdul Qayyum Shinwari was executed on August 31, 2024 in the city of Mecca.
According to a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Interior, “Abdul Qayyum Shinwari, a citizen of Afghanistan, smuggled heroin into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Security authorities apprehended him, and the investigation concluded.”
The statement indicated that Abdul Qayyum Shinwari’s execution took place on August 31 in the Mecca region.

30 July 2024 :

A Pakistani citizen on July 29, 2024 was executed in a heroine smuggling case in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Ministry of Interior has reported that the Pakistani drug smuggler was executed in the Makkah region.
The ministry stated that law enforcement agencies had arrested a Pakistani citizen named Zubair Khan Hazrat Jamal, and seized heroin that he was attempting to smuggle into the kingdom.
The ministry said the accused was presented before the court with all the evidence, and the court sentenced him to death after he confessed to the crime.
This initial verdict was upheld by the Appeals Court and the Supreme Court.

13 May 2024 :

Saudi Arabia on May 11, 2024 executed two Syrians over their alleged involvement in drug smuggling within the Kingdom, as the trafficking of narcotics from Syria continues to plague the region.
According to the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Ministry of Interior released a statement announcing the execution of two criminals of Syrian nationality on May 11, in the Kingdom’s north-western Tabuk region.
Having been caught by authorities for allegedly smuggling amphetamine pills on an unspecified date, the two Syrians – named Imad Mahmoud Hussein and Mustafa Mahmoud Hussein – were handed a decree confirming their guilty and subsequently sentenced to death.
That ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, with a royal decree enforcing it.
In its statement, the Saudi Interior Ministry emphasised that the government is committed to combating narcotics of all kinds and the severe harm they cause to both society and individuals, as well as the authorities’ enforcement of the harshest penalties.

06 May 2024 :

Saudi Arabia’s court of appeal in April 2024 approved death sentences for two Saudi men for protest-related crimes allegedly committed as children, Human Rights Watch and 26 other organizations said on April 29, 2024 in a joint statement.
Saudi Arabia’s Specialized Appellate Court upheld the death penalty sentences for Yousif al-Manasif and Ali al-Mabyook, for alleged crimes they committed when they were between the ages of 14 and 17 and referred the cases to the Supreme Court for final approval. Al-Manasif and al-Mabyook, both from the eastern province, where most of the country’s Shi’a minority live, were arrested between April 2017 and January 2018 and appeared before a court in 2019.
“Saudi Arabia is investing billions of dollars in major entertainment and sporting events to distract from its repressive rights environment, while people charged with crimes as children remain on death row,” said Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“Saudi Arabia should quash the decision to execute al-Manasif and al-Mabyook and start living up to its promise to end the child death penalty.”
The charges on which the young men were convicted were almost entirely based on their confessions.
Human Rights Watch has  documented rampant abuses in Saudi Arabia’s criminal justice system, including coerced confessions against children later sentenced to death, that make it highly unlikely that al-Manasif and al-Mabyook received a fair trial.
At least five people sentenced to death as children remain in danger of execution at any moment.

09 November 2024 :

Saudi authorities on November 7, 2024 announced the execution of three citizens from the same family who were convicted of belonging to a terrorist organisation, Arabi21 reported.
The Ministry of Interior stated in a press release that Saad Bin Bashir Al-Rowaily, Saad Bin Masnad Al-Rowaily and Nail Bin Dhabel Al-Rowaily had pledged allegiance to a terrorist group outside the kingdom and carried out its orders.
The statement continued, stating that the three convicts “participated in forming a terrorist entity within the Kingdom, possessing weapons and explosives, training in their manufacture and use, and preparing to carry out terrorist operations using these materials to target security headquarters and kill security personnel.”
Following their arrest and referral to the competent court, they were sentenced to death, which was upheld by the higher courts and then a royal decree was issued to carry out the sentence.
The ministry’s statement indicated that the executions were carried out in the Jouf region of northern Saudi Arabia.

31 October 2024 :

Two Saudis were executed on October 31, 2024 for committing criminal and terror acts in Saudi Arabia.
The two citizens — Sultan bin Muhammad bin Kamikh Al-Otaibi and Turki bin Muhammad bin Ashish Al-Hazmi — committed acts that involved betraying their country, collaborating with terrorist entities, and adopting a terrorist approach in which they "sacrificed blood, money, and honour with the aim of disrupting the security and stability of society".
The two were charged of committing these acts by the Public Prosecution, after which the competent court issued a ruling against them. They were then sentenced to death.
The execution was carried out on October 31 in Riyadh.
The Ministry of Interior affirmed that the government would take the necessary action to establish security, achieve justice, and "cut off anyone who attempts to harm the nation’s security or endanger its unity".
The authority also said that punishment would be carried out against any one who commits these acts.

21 October 2024 :

Two Saudis were executed on October 21, 2024 for committing acts of terrorism in the country, the Ministry of Interior announced.
The two citizens, Khalid bin Muhammad bin Talal Al-Shahrani and Omar bin Dhafar bin Ali Al-Shahrani, committed multiple acts of terrorism, including joining a terrorist entity, collaborating with its members, financing terrorism, and participating in terrorist acts that resulted in the deaths of several security personnel.
The duo used weapons and suicide belts to target security facilities, backed by a terrorist ideology that 'justified shedding blood and violating the sanctity of property and honour, aiming to disrupt the security and stability of society'.
The two individuals were sentenced to death after being referred to the Public Prosecution, where charges were brought against them for these acts. This ruling became final after being appealed and upheld by the Supreme Court.
The death sentence was carried out on October 21 in Riyadh.

10 September 2024 :

Saudi Arabia has executed three people in Riyadh convicted of terror-related charges, the Ministry of Interior said on September 8, 2024.
According to the ministry, the individuals Talal Al-Hudhali, Majdi Al-Kaabi and Raed Al-Kaabi, were executed for “committing criminal acts … including treason, providing support to terrorist entities, and communicating with them, adopting a terrorist approach that permits the shedding of blood, money and honour, and inciting people to carry out terrorist acts with the aim of undermining the security and stability of society.”

05 September 2024 :

Saudi Arabia on August 17, 2024 issued a statement informing its citizens and residents of a death sentence being carried out against Saudi national, Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Qunai’an.
The Saudi national was accused of "committing criminal acts that involved betraying his country, joining a terrorist cell affiliated with the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, and financing it.
In a statement, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior also mentioned that the accused was being sentenced for his support for terrorist ideology and terrorist acts.

24 July 2024 :

Saudi Arabia has issued a statement informing citizens and residents of a death sentence being carried out against a Saudi national, Khaleej Times reported on July 23, 2024.
Ahmed bin Hassan bin Ali Al Eisa, a Saudi national, was accused of committing the following crimes: "a terrorist crime by joining a terrorist organisation; participating with other terrorist elements in targeting and killing security personnel; committing several crimes of financing terrorism; supplying wanted terrorist elements with weapons and ammunition; and harbouring others who trade in weapons".
The accused was referred to the court, which issued a verdict confirming his guilt and sentencing him to death as a discretionary punishment.
The ruling was upheld by the higher court, and a royal order was then issued to enforce the verdict.

17 July 2024 :

A Saudi national was given a death penalty on July 11, 2024 after committing multiple acts of terror, as per the country's Ministry of Interior.
Muhammad bin Saeed bin Jawad Al Ateeq was accused of financing terrorism and joining an extremist cell.
He also took part in shooting at police stations, security points and patrols. He targeted security men by shooting at them with the intention of killing them and kept deadly tools at his own home and that of his relatives, which also included explosive material.
He was also found to be providing facilities to other members of the organisation and stealing a number of vehicles to use them during his criminal acts.

19 May 2024 :

Saudi Arabia on May 13, 2024 executed a shiite man for threatening national security by financing terrorism and associating with terrorist elements.
Saudi national Hassan bin Ahmed bin Mansour Al Nasser was charged with helping terrorists carry out killings that involved shooting at police stations, security points and patrols.
Al Nasser was referred to a competent court that convicted him of the charges.
The death sentence was carried out against Al Nasser on May 13, the Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia announced.
In its statement, the Ministry also stressed on the keenness of the Kingdom’s government on "establishing security, achieving justice, and implementing the provisions of Islamic Sharia with regard to anyone who attacks innocent people or sheds their blood, and violates their right to life".
Despite the execution, Saudi authorities have withheld Al-Nasser’s body and have not informed his family of his burial location, preventing them from holding funeral ceremonies for him.

28 February 2024 :

Saudi Arabia executed seven people for "terrorism" offenses on February 27, 2024, state media said, the highest single-day figure since 81 were put to death in March 2022.
The seven were convicted of "creating and financing terrorist organizations and entities", the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing the Gulf kingdom's interior ministry.
Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most prolific users of capital punishment, has now executed 29 people this year according to an AFP tally of official announcements, after putting 170 to death in 2023.
The kingdom, notorious for beheadings, drew a wave of condemnation from around the world with 81 executions in one day nearly two years ago.
The nationalities of the seven executed on February 27 were not revealed, but their names and titles indicated they were Saudi.
They were convicted of "adopting a terrorist approach that calls for bloodshed, establishing and financing terrorist organizations and entities, and communicating and dealing with them with the aim of disrupting the security and stability of society" and endangering national security, the official news agency said.
The report did not provide further details of the accusations against them.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia executed more people than any other country besides China and Iran, Amnesty International has said.
Those executed last year included 33 people accused of terrorism-related crimes and two soldiers convicted of treason.
There were 38 executions in December, the deadliest month in 2023.
Saudi authorities deem the executions to be necessary to "maintain public order" and compatible with their interpretation of sharia law, the Islamic law code based on the teachings of the Koran.
Activists say the kingdom's continued embrace of capital punishment hurts efforts by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to transform the world's biggest crude oil exporter into a business and tourism hub.
Executions undermine the image of a more open, tolerant society that is central to Prince Mohammed's Vision 2030 reform agenda, activists argue.

01 February 2024 :

Saudi Arabia on January 30, 2024 carried out its first death penalty this year after executing a citizen convicted of terrorist acts in the country's Eastern Province.
The kingdom's Ministry of Interior said it executed Aoun Al Abu Abdullah on January 30.
“Aoun bin Hassan bin Radhi Al Abu Abdullah, a Saudi national, committed terrorist acts by joining a terrorist cell that seeks to disrupt the security of the kingdom, destabilise the security of society and the stability of the state, and target security personnel with the intention of killing them,” the ministry said.
Al Abu Abdullah was charged with manufacturing explosives and delivering them to wanted persons, with the intention that they be used for terrorist acts.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia executed at least 170 people in 2023, mostly on terrorism and drug-related charges.
The Interior Ministry said 38 people were executed in December, the highest in a month, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Out of the 170 cases in which the death penalty was carried out, 33 people were executed for terrorism-related crimes while two soldiers were executed for treason.

09 October 2024 :

A Filipino was executed in Saudi Arabia over the murder of a Saudi national, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on October 8, 2024. 
The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh confirmed there was an execution, however there has been "no official confirmation from Saudi authorities" as of writing, the DFA said in a statement. 
The DFA maintained that they did "all we could" to halt the execution or minimize the punishment, but the victim's family advocated for the death penalty. 
"We did all we could: court appeal, presidential letter of appeal, trying to get the victim’s family to accept blood money… in the end, these efforts were not successful as the victim’s family insisted on the death penalty instead of accepting blood money," DFA said.
While DFA withheld details of the case for privacy reasons, it said the Filipino was tried for the murder of a Saudi national "over money." 
"The family of the Filipino does NOT want publicity over the case.  Out of deference to their wishes, and out of respect to their privacy, we will withhold details on the case. We appeal to the media and the public to understand and heed the wishes of the family," the agency said.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega later said that the Filipino has been on death row in Saudi Arabia since March 2022 for the crime that happened in 2020.
"He was given full legal assistance. The only way to save his life would have been approval from the family of blood money compensation. However, it was refused. So we did conduct regular jail visits and when the President wrote to the King of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi government issued a postponement of the execution," de Vega said.
According to de Vega, the Filipino did not deny killing the victim, a Saudi national with whom he had a business venture.
"The victim was asking our kababayan for his share in the profits or something, and they had a money dispute and that led to the confrontation," he said. "He hit the Saudi national's head twice with some hammer."
"Not only did he kill him, but he tried to ship him out of their country, ship the corpse out of the country. In fact, he wanted to have him transported to the Philippines, the corpse. So he never denied that it happened," he added.

19 September 2024 :

A Saudi man was executed after he was convicted of murdering his wife by beating and burning her.
The execution of the inmate, identified as Ali bin Humaid, was carried out on September 17, 2024 in the holy city of Mecca, according to the Saudi Interior Ministry.
The man was earlier arrested and interrogated.
He was then referred to the competent court that convicted him of the murder.
The ruling was later upheld by appeals and supreme courts, and approved by a royal order, making it final.
It was not clear when the murder happened or the motive.

04 September 2024 :

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior announced on September 1, 2024 that the death sentence of "Abdullah bin Ali bin Sharai al-Shehri" has been executed for the crime of "criminal acts" at the level of "treason against the country".
The Saudi Ministry of Interior also said that Abdullah al-Shehri was involved in "terrorist operations" with the aim of "disrupting the security and stability of society."
The local news in Saudi Arabia have not specifically talked about acts by Ali bin Abdullah.

05 August 2024 :

Saudi authorities have executed five individuals convicted of robbery, kidnapping, and killing an Indian man, Gulf News reported on August 2, 2024. The group, consisting of four Saudi citizens and one Indian national, was charged with forming a gang responsible for a series of robberies.
They were also found guilty of kidnapping an Indian man, robbing him, and beating him to death.
Following their trial, the five were sentenced to death by a competent court. The verdict was upheld by the appeals and supreme courts and approved by a royal order, making it final. The executions were carried out in the Eastern Province, according to the Saudi Interior Ministry.

15 July 2024 :

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior issued a statement on July 13, 2024 informing citizens and residents of the execution of a retribution death sentence against an offender in the Eastern Province.
A Saudi national, Meetham bin Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Obaid, committed the murder of Shukri bin Saleh bin Mohammed Al Radwan, also a Saudi national, by stabbing him with a sharp instrument, which led to his death. This took place after a dispute between them.
Authorities managed to arrest the aforementioned perpetrator. The investigation led to the accusation of committing the crime being proven against him. Upon referring him to the competent court, a verdict was issued confirming his guilt and sentencing him to death in retribution. This verdict was upheld by both the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, and a royal order was issued to carry out what was legally determined and endorsed by the authorities.
The retribution death sentence was executed on the offender, Meetham bin Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Obaid, a Saudi national, on July 13 in the Eastern Province.
The Ministry of Interior, while announcing this, reaffirms the Kingdom's government's commitment to maintaining security, achieving justice, and implementing the laws on those who assault the innocent or shed their blood.
At the same time, it warns anyone who might commit such acts that the legal punishment will be their fate.

07 March 2024 :

Five Pakistanis have been executed on March 5, 2024 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on charges of killing a watchman during an armed robbery.
A statement issued by the Saudi Ministry of Interior said a group of Pakistani nationals committed a robbery in a private company and shot dead a Bangladeshi-origin watchman Anis Mian.
It said Pakistani nationals Arshad Ali Deebar, Mohammad Ismail, Abdul Majeed, Haji Nooruddin, and Abdul Ghaffar Mohammad Soma were executed for murder which is punishable by death in Saudi Kingdom.
Saudi Royal House also approved the execution after the final verdict of death sentence for the five members.
It was Saudi Arabia's third mass execution in 2024.

02 March 2024 :

Saudi Arabia on February 28, 2024 executed five Yemeni nationals charged with murder and robbery, state media reported, bringing the number of executions in the kingdom this year to 34.
An interior ministry statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, said the group had been convicted of the murder of a fellow Yemeni and of "forming a gang for the purpose of theft and robbery."
The five executions were carried out late in the southwestern Asir region of the country.
The announcement came a day after seven others were executed for "establishing and financing terrorist organizations."
SPA said the five men – named as Hassan Fatini, Ibrahim Ali, Abdullah Darwish, Abdullah Majari and Hamoud Shuai – had handcuffed the victim, Ahmed al-Aradi, and beat him over the head.
The statement said the men had lost an appeal and the verdict was upheld by the supreme court.
Last year, capital punishment was used 170 times in Saudi Arabia, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

04 February 2024 :

Saudi Arabia on January 31, 2024 executed four Ethiopian expatriates on charges of murdering a Sudanese national.
The four were convicted of taking turns in fatally bludgeoning the victim and stabbing him after having tied his hands and feet, the Saudi Interior Ministry said. The motive for the murder was not given.
The inmates were also found guilty of mugging, attempting to murder and robbing others at gunpoint.
After investigations, they were referred to the competent court that convicted them of cardinal crimes, and intimidating others by attacking them and their money.
The verdict was later upheld by appeals and supreme courts, and approved by a royal order, making it final. Their executions were carried out January 31 in Riyadh, the ministry said.

03 December 2024 :

Saudi Arabia has put over 300 people to death in 2024, according to an AFP tally, after four executions announced on December 3 brought the kingdom's total to a level far outstripping the highest known annual figures.
The death penalty was carried out against three people convicted of drug smuggling and another for murder, the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing the interior ministry.It brings the total number of executions for the year to 303, according to the tally based on state media reports.
The Gulf monarchy had enacted the death penalty 200 times by the end of September, according to the same tally of official data, indicating a rapid rate of executions in recent weeks.
Saudi Arabia executed the third highest number of prisoners in the world in 2023 after China and Iran, according to Amnesty International.
Previously the record number of executions in a single year in the country had stood at 196 in 2022, said the London-based human rights group, which began recording the annual figures in 1990.
Taha al-Hajji, legal director of the Berlin-based European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR), condemned the "rocket speed" of executions in 2024, calling it "incomprehensible and inexplicable".
Human rights activists had previously warned Saudi Arabia could exceed 300 executions this year, with one execution being recorded almost every day.

27 October 2024 :

Stephen Munyakho now known as Abdulkareem convicted of murder in Saudi Arabia is sure of staying alive for the next year after the Kenyan government successfully negotiated an extension on the date when he was supposed to be executed.
Munyakho was due for execution on 26 November 2024 following his incarceration in Shimeisi Prison in the Governorate of Mecca.  
Munyakho has since spent 13 years in different Saudi prisons.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei on October 24, 2024 said that negotiations between the Kenyan Mission in Riyadh, Saudi Authorities, and the aggrieved widow whose son was murdered led to the extension of the execution date. According to the PS, the extension will facilitate the settling of outstanding obligations.
"I am pleased to inform that after strenuous negotiations between our Mission in Riyadh, Saudi Authorities and the Widow, the impending execution of judgment against Stephen Munyakho (Abdulkareem) due on November 26, 2024 has been postponed for another one year to allow parties settle outstanding obligations," the PS wrote.
The PS further expressed hope to conclude the matter soon believing that the cordial relationship between Kenya Saudi Arabia will allow the matter to be finalized.
"We shall continue relying on our two countries' cordial relations towards concluding the matter."
Sing’oei also thanked Kenyans, partners, and stakeholders goodwill that has enabled the case to be delayed as Kenya seeks to get its citizen off the hook.
The 50-year-old was working in Saudi Arabia when he got involved in a fight with a colleague identified as Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh (a Yemeni national) on April 9, 2011. Following the fight, the colleague sustained injuries and succumbed to them.
Munyakho was convicted of manslaughter, which was later reversed to a death sentence after the deceased’s family filed an appeal at the courts in Saudi Arabia. He was sentenced to death by sword.
Since then, there have been efforts behind the scenes by his family and the Kenyan government to save him from the sentence.
Munyakho has the option of escaping the execution if he can pay 10 million Saudi Arabia Riyals (SAR) (Ksh 150 million) in terms of a "diya" or blood money settlement. 
“There was also the “diya” or “blood money” option – financial compensation under Islamic law – which is paid to the victim or heirs of a victim in the cases of murder, bodily harm or property destruction by mistake,” Dorothy Kweyu, Munyakho's mother recounted to Daily Nation in an article dated March 9, 2024.
The family failed to raise the money by the deadline they had been provided — May 15, 2024.
While the suspect has one more year to fight, there are other options on the table that he can explore. 
These include: a reduction on his sentence, transferring the case back to Kenya, or negotiating an out-of-court settlement between the two families, which would likely involve financial compensation.

01 October 2024 :

Saudi Arabian authorities have put to death over 198 individuals so far in 2024, the highest number of executions recorded in the country since 1990, Amnesty International said on September 28, 2024.
Despite repeated promises to limit the use of the death penalty, Saudi authorities have ramped up executions while routinely failing to abide by international fair trial standards and safeguards for defendants.
Executions for drug-related crimes soared this year, with 53 carried out so far – with an average of one execution every two days in July alone – rising from just two drug-related executions in 2023.
Authorities have also weaponised the death penalty to silence political dissent, punishing citizens from the country’s Shi’a minority who supported “anti-government” protests between 2011 and 2013.
“Saudi Arabia’s authorities are pursuing a relentless killing spree displaying a chilling disregard for human life while promoting an empty-worded campaign to rebrand their image,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“The death penalty is an abhorrent and inhuman punishment which Saudi Arabia has used against people for a wide range of offences, including political dissent and drug-related charges following grossly unfair trials. The authorities must immediately establish a moratorium on executions, and order re-trials for those on death row in line with international standards without resorting to the death penalty.”
In 2022, Saudi Arabia executed 196 people – the highest annual number of executions that Amnesty International has recorded in the country in the last 30 years.

16 July 2024 :

Saudi Arabia has executed 100 people from the beginning of 2024 to July 15th, representing almost one execution every two days. This is a 42% increase compared to the same period in 2023, indicating that this year might be more deadly than the previous one, which recorded 172 executions announced by the Ministry of Interior.
According to the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights monitoring 100 executions in 196 days demonstrate the Saudi government's insistence on using the death penalty extensively, in violation of international laws and its official commitments.
ESOHR’s tracking lists only three individuals facing imminent execution, indicating an increase in internal suppression and lack of transparency, alongside the intimidation of families. Additionally, seven of the executions were carried out against individuals from the Qatif region, accused of terrorism. ESOHR has documented the extensive use of this penalty against individuals from this region in the wake of the protests it witnessed.
According to the information published by the Ministry of Interior, 98 of those executed were men, while two were women. The nationalities of the executed individuals were as follows: 74 Saudis, 8 Yemenis, 4 Ethiopians, 6 Pakistanis, 3 Syrians, 1 Sri Lankan, 1 Nigerian, 1 Jordanian, 1 Indian, and 1 Sudanese.
By tracking the information published by the Saudi Ministry of Interior through the Saudi Press Agency regarding the executions carried out, the type of sentence executed was not mentioned in 19 cases. This lack of detail has only been observed in statements concerning mass execution rulings. It is likely that the hidden sentences are discretionary “Taazir” as the charges relate to terrorism, harboring fugitives, and shooting, which are vague charges often used against political detainees as well.
Additionally, the Ministry of Interior's statements unusually concealed the type of court that issued the sentence in two cases, where the defendants also faced charges related to terrorism. Therefore, it is most likely that these sentences were issued by the Specialized Criminal Court, which deals with terrorism cases.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has faced numerous criticisms for the Specialized Criminal Court, which has issued arbitrary sentences against protesters and opinion detainees, including death sentences. Official promises had also addressed discretionary death penalties, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman repeatedly promising to limit their use. Hence, the organization views the deliberate concealment of information as a new form of manipulation by Saudi Arabia to evade its commitments and continue using the death penalty as a tool.
The 100 executions carried out since the beginning of 2024 confirm Saudi Arabia's insistence on violating international law which emphasizes limiting death sentences to the most serious charges.
4% of the executions were of individuals who faced drug-related charges. In 2021, Saudi Arabia announced a halt in executing such sentences to give individuals facing serious charges a new chance. Nearly two years later, Saudi Arabia has resumed executing individuals on drug charges. Recently, during the Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council, Saudi Arabia rejected recommendations to reinstate the halt without providing an explanation. The organization has documented severe violations faced by detainees on drug charges, including torture, ill-treatment, and denial of adequate defense rights.
In addition to drug charges, Saudi Arabia has carried out 22 executions this year for charges ranging from terrorism to harboring terrorists and shooting. International law stipulates that the death penalty should be limited to intentional murder charges, following trials that meet all justice conditions.
Despite the lack of transparency and intimidation preventing the tracking of trials and case details, Saudi Arabia has consistently used vague terrorism charges against political detainees. The previously observed pattern shows severe violations of justice conditions in the trials of these cases.
ESOHR believes that the execution of 100 people within the first 196 days of 2024 signals a bloodier year ahead and confirms Saudi Arabia's determination to use executions as both punishment and a means of intimidation.
The organization points out that these statistics increase the risk to the lives of 69 individuals whose cases it is monitoring. These individuals are facing unfair trials marred by torture, ill-treatment, and deprivation of basic rights. Among them are 9 minors, 8 of whom are facing discretionary (ta'zir) sentences.
ESOHR considers that tracking the execution rate in Saudi Arabia reveals the true state of human rights in the country, which the government attempts to obscure through whitewashing, manipulation, and information concealment.

08 April 2024 :

Saudi citizen Ati Al Maliki in Mecca has granted a pardon to the killer of his son Abdullah, just days before the scheduled execution set for April 17, without seeking any compensation in return, Gulf News reported on April 7, 2024.
In a viral video, the father publicly announced his decision to pardon the young perpetrator, Shaher Dhaifallah Al Harithi.
Following the announcement, a crowd gathered around Al Maliki, expressing their admiration and gratitude for his compassionate act, which spared the perpetrator from facing retribution.
The heartwarming scene unfolded on the night of the 27th of Ramadan, a significant period often associated with the blessed Night of Power, and garnered widespread praise on social media platforms.