Saudi Arabia Death Sentence – Saudi Arabia has hanged 101 foreign citizens in a year, maximum including 21 Pakistanis and 3 Indians – Saudi Arabia Record Death Sentences 101 Foreigners Executed In 2024 including 21 Pakistanis and 3 Indians ntc
Death penalty figures in Saudi Arabia are breaking records and shocking the world. More than 100 foreigners have been given death sentence in the Gulf country by 2024. This year the total number has increased to 101. This figure has broken the records of the last two years. There has been a huge increase in cases of death penalty to foreigners in Sunni dominated Saudi Arabia. Recently a citizen of Yemen has been punished in a drug smuggling case.
In Saudi Arabia, 34-34 people were given death sentence in 2023 and 2022. Now the latest data shows that the cases of giving death sentence to foreigners have increased almost three times. This year, among the people from the countries who have been sentenced to death, the maximum number of 21 people are from Pakistan. While the names of three Indians are included. Apart from this, names of 20 people from Yemen, 14 from Syria, 10 from Nigeria, 9 from Egypt, 8 from Jordan and 7 from Ethiopia are in the list. Three people each from Sudan and Afghanistan and one each from Sri Lanka, Eritrea and Philippines have also been hanged.
101 foreign nationals hanged this year
On Saturday, a Yemeni citizen was found guilty in a drug smuggling case and his execution was announced. With this, a record has been created in the Gulf country for giving death sentence to 101 foreign nationals in 2024. This is the largest number.
Saudi Arabia has the highest death penalty rate
According to news agency AFP, the rate of death penalty in Saudi Arabia still remains the highest. Activist groups claim that there is a widespread need for comprehensive reforms in the matter of hanging. There has been a complete crackdown on the Crown Prince’s political opponents and zero tolerance for dissent.
Human rights organizations condemned
Saudi Arabia has been facing criticism for the death penalty for a long time. Human rights organizations have also condemned the Gulf state, saying it is not in line with Saudi Arabia’s efforts to soften its tough image and attract international tourists and investors. Saudi Arabia is an oil rich country.
Hanging cases broke records
According to international human rights organization Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia ranks third in terms of hanging foreign prisoners. In 2023, the maximum number of prisoners were given death sentence in China and Iran. By September this year, Saudi Arabia carried out the highest number of death sentences in more than three decades. This figure is much more than the death penalty given to 196 people in 2022 and 192 people in 1995. The total number of hangings in 2024 has reached 274 by mid-November. A total of 92 people have been hanged so far in drug-related cases, of which 69 were foreign nationals.
How is punishment decided in Saudi Arabia?
In the Islamic law of Saudi Arabia, death penalty is given for different types of crimes in three categories. This includes the names of Kisas (punitive), Hadh (mandatory), and Tajir (discretionary). Within these categories Saudi courts have broad powers to determine what behavior constitutes a criminal offense and what penalties may result, including the death penalty. Saudi Arabia lifted a three-year moratorium on drug-related executions in 2022, leading to a significant increase in deaths this year.
Earlier, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had claimed that death penalty in Saudi Arabia is given in cases related to murder and endangering the lives of many people.
