Amnesty: Saudi Arabia executing individuals after unfair trials

In the last 12 months 175 people were beheaded or shot for crimes including drugs confessions claimed to have been extracted through torture, said the report released by human rights charity Amnesty worldwide.

The report also says at least 2,208 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia from January 1985 to June 2015.

The statement named the three Saudis as Nawaf al-Otaibi, Bandar al-Ghathim and Abdulaziz Mohammed al-Zahrani – all of whom had been convicted of murder.

The Muslim nation is one of the most prolific executioners in the world, and there has been a marked increase in state-sponsored killings since King Salman came to power in January.

Non-lethal crimes including “adultery”, armed robbery, “apostasy”, drug-related offences, rape, “witchcraft” and “sorcery” are punishable by death.

Most executions are carried out by beheadings, though some are undertaken by firing squads. In rare cases, executed bodies have been displayed in public to deter others from committing crime.

Amnesty said nearly half of those executed during the last 30 years were foreign nationals, many of whom lack the Arabic skills to understand court proceedings and charges.

Often, families of prisoners on death row are not notified of their execution and only learn of their loved one’s fate after they have been put to death, sometimes through media reports.

Global monitoring groups Amnesty worldwide and Human Rights Watch say weaknesses in the Saudi justice system make convictions unsafe and point to the frequent use of execution for non-violent offences.

According to AFP tallies compiled from interior ministry statements, so far this year the kingdom has executed 123 people, compared with 87 in 2014.

Judges can also use their discretion in sentencing, often leading to huge discrepancies between punishments.

“Instead of defending the country’s appalling record, the Saudi Arabian authorities should urgently establish an official moratorium on executions and implement worldwide fair trial standards in all criminal cases”, he said.

The rights group said Saudi authorities have denied its researchers access to the country.

Apart from the four reported by the interior ministry on Wednesday, there have also been other executions since this June, however, it is not clear precisely how many.