Rights teams condemn new report variety of executions in 2025

[ad_1] Caroline Hawley Diplomatic correspondent

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/e163/live/3d632f70-dbfb-11f0-a030-476ae6d8c14a.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/e163/live/3d632f70-dbfb-11f0-a030-476ae6d8c14a.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/e163/live/3d632f70-dbfb-11f0-a030-476ae6d8c14a.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/e163/live/3d632f70-dbfb-11f0-a030-476ae6d8c14a.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/e163/live/3d632f70-dbfb-11f0-a030-476ae6d8c14a.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/e163/live/3d632f70-dbfb-11f0-a030-476ae6d8c14a.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/e163/live/3d632f70-dbfb-11f0-a030-476ae6d8c14a.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/e163/live/3d632f70-dbfb-11f0-a030-476ae6d8c14a.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="ESOHR Issam al-Shazly" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> ESOHR Egyptian fisherman Issam al-Shazly was executed on Tuesday after being convicted of drug-related costs

Saudi Arabia has surpassed its report for the variety of executions carried out yearly for a second yr in a row.

Not less than 347 individuals have now been put to loss of life this yr, up from a complete of 345 in 2024, in line with the UK-based marketing campaign group Reprieve, which tracks executions in Saudi Arabia and has shoppers on loss of life row.

It mentioned this was the "bloodiest yr of executions within the kingdom since monitoring started".

The newest prisoners to be executed have been two Pakistani nationals convicted of drug-related offences.

Others put loss of life this yr embrace a journalist and two younger males who have been kids on the time of their alleged protest-related crimes. 5 have been ladies.

However, in line with Reprieve, most - round two thirds - have been convicted of non-lethal drug-related offences, which the UN says is "incompatible with worldwide norms and requirements".

Greater than half of them have been international nationals who seem to have been put to loss of life as a part of a "warfare on medication" within the kingdom.

The Saudi authorities haven't responded to the BBC's request for touch upon the rise in executions.

"Saudi Arabia is working with full impunity now," mentioned Jeed Basyouni, Reprieve's head of loss of life penalty for the Center East and North Africa. "It is virtually making a mockery of the human rights system."

She described torture and compelled confessions as "endemic" throughout the Saudi legal justice system.

Ms Basyouni referred to as it a "brutal and arbitrary crackdown" by which harmless individuals and people on the margins of society have been caught up.

Tuesday noticed the execution of a younger Egyptian fisherman, Issam al-Shazly, who was arrested in 2021 in Saudi territorial waters and mentioned he had been coerced into smuggling medication.

Reprieve says that 96 of the executions have been solely linked to cannabis.

"It virtually appears that it does not matter to them who they execute, so long as they ship a message to society that there is a zero-tolerance coverage on no matter challenge they're speaking about - whether or not it is protests, freedom of expression, or medication," mentioned Ms Basyouni.

There was a surge of drug-related executions for the reason that Saudi authorities ended an unofficial moratorium in late 2022 - a step described as "deeply regrettable" by the UN human rights workplace.

Talking anonymously to the BBC, kinfolk of males on loss of life row on medication costs have spoken of the "terror" they're now dwelling in.

One instructed the BBC: "The one time of the week that I sleep is on Friday and Saturday as a result of there are not any executions on these days."

Cellmates witness individuals they've shared jail life with for years being dragged kicking and screaming to their loss of life, in line with Reprieve.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/5167/live/82fe96d0-dc07-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/5167/live/82fe96d0-dc07-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5167/live/82fe96d0-dc07-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/5167/live/82fe96d0-dc07-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/5167/live/82fe96d0-dc07-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/5167/live/82fe96d0-dc07-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/5167/live/82fe96d0-dc07-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5167/live/82fe96d0-dc07-11f0-a8dc-93c15fe68710.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Reuters Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia attends the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington DC, (19 November 2025)" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Reuters Prince Mohammed bin Salman has loosened social restrictions whereas concurrently silencing criticism

The de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman - who grew to become crown prince in 2017 - has modified the nation profoundly over the previous few years, loosening social restrictions whereas concurrently silencing criticism.

In a bid to diversify its financial system away from oil, he has opened Saudi Arabia as much as the surface world, taken the non secular police off the streets, and allowed ladies to drive.

However the kingdom's human rights report stays "abysmal", in line with the US-based marketing campaign group Human Rights Watch, with the excessive stage of executions a serious concern. Lately, solely China and Iran have put extra individuals to loss of life, in line with human rights activists.

"There's been no value for Mohammed bin Salman and his authorities for going forward with these executions," mentioned Joey Shea, who researches Saudi Arabia for Human Rights Watch. "The leisure occasions, the sporting occasions, all of it's persevering with to occur with no repercussions, actually."

In keeping with Reprieve, the households of these executed are normally not knowledgeable prematurely, or given the physique, or knowledgeable the place they've been buried.

The Saudi authorities don't reveal the strategy of execution, though it's believed to be both beheading or firing squad.

In an announcement despatched to the BBC, the UN's particular rapporteur on extrajudicial, abstract or arbitrary executions, Dr Morris Tidball-Binz, referred to as for an instantaneous moratorium on executions in Saudi Arabia with a view to abolition, in addition to "full compliance with worldwide safeguards (together with efficient authorized help and consular entry for international nationals), immediate notification of households, the return of stays immediately and the publication of complete execution knowledge to allow unbiased scrutiny".

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/1761/live/8e8bb8b0-dbf4-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/1761/live/8e8bb8b0-dbf4-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/1761/live/8e8bb8b0-dbf4-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/1761/live/8e8bb8b0-dbf4-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/1761/live/8e8bb8b0-dbf4-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/1761/live/8e8bb8b0-dbf4-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/1761/live/8e8bb8b0-dbf4-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/1761/live/8e8bb8b0-dbf4-11f0-aae2-2191c0e48a3b.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Amnesty International Abdullah al-Derazi (L) and Jalal al-Labbad (R)" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Amnesty Worldwide Abdullah al-Derazi and Jalal al-Labbad have been executed in October and August respectively after being convicted of crimes they allegedly dedicated as minors

Among the many Saudi nationals executed this yr have been Abdullah al-Derazi and Jalal al-Labbad, who have been each minors on the time of their arrest.

They'd protested towards the federal government's remedy of the Shia Muslim minority in 2011 and 2012, and took part within the funerals of individuals killed by safety forces. They have been convicted of terrorism-related costs and sentenced to loss of life after what Amnesty Worldwide mentioned have been grossly unfair trials that relied on torture-tainted "confessions". UN human rights specialists had referred to as for his or her launch.

The UN additionally condemned the execution in June of the journalist, Turki al-Jasser, who had been arrested in 2018 and sentenced to loss of life on costs of terrorism and excessive treason based mostly on writings he was accused of authoring.

"Capital punishment towards journalists is a chilling assault on freedom of expression and press freedom," mentioned Unesco's Director-Basic, Audrey Azoulay.

Reporters With out Borders mentioned he was the primary journalist to be executed in Saudi Arabia since Mohammed bin Salman got here to energy, though one other journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, was murdered by Saudi brokers on the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/711e/live/127a5bb0-dbf3-11f0-9215-a1336f9b1117.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/711e/live/127a5bb0-dbf3-11f0-9215-a1336f9b1117.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/711e/live/127a5bb0-dbf3-11f0-9215-a1336f9b1117.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/711e/live/127a5bb0-dbf3-11f0-9215-a1336f9b1117.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/711e/live/127a5bb0-dbf3-11f0-9215-a1336f9b1117.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/711e/live/127a5bb0-dbf3-11f0-9215-a1336f9b1117.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/711e/live/127a5bb0-dbf3-11f0-9215-a1336f9b1117.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/711e/live/127a5bb0-dbf3-11f0-9215-a1336f9b1117.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Human Rights Watch Turki al-Jasser" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Human Rights Watch Journalist Turki al-Jasser was executed in June after seven years in detention

Final December, UN specialists wrote to the Saudi authorities to specific concern over a gaggle of 32 Egyptians and one Jordanian nationwide who had been sentenced to loss of life on medication costs, and their "alleged absence of authorized illustration". Since then, many of the group have been executed.

A relative of 1 man put to loss of life earlier this yr mentioned that he had instructed her that folks have been being "taken like goats" to be killed.

The BBC has approached the Saudi authorities for a response to the allegations however has not acquired one.

However in a letter dated January 2025 - in reply to considerations raised by UN particular rapporteurs - they mentioned that Saudi Arabia "protects and upholds" human rights and that its legal guidelines "prohibit and punish torture".

"The loss of life penalty is imposed just for probably the most critical crimes and in extraordinarily restricted circumstances," the letter said. "It's not handed down or carried out till judicial proceedings in courts of all ranges have been accomplished."