Saudi Arabia executed 170 death row inmates in 2023, an increase compared to the previous year, according to a report established by AFP based on announcements made by the Saudi authorities.
As of December 31, 2023, 170 people sentenced to death were executed in the kingdom compared to 147 for the whole of 2022. A record of 187 executions was recorded in 2019.
Last executions on Sunday
The last executions took place on Sunday. They concern Saudis convicted of murder, including two in Tabouk (north), one in Riyadh and the other in Jazane (south), according to press releases from the Saudi Ministry of the Interior, cited by the official SPA agency.
Thirty-three people “involved in terrorism cases” and two soldiers convicted of treason are among the 170 executed since the start of the year.
Leading trio
In 2022, Saudi Arabia executed 147 convicts, 81 of whom were executed in a single day, sparking a wave of condemnations around the world.
Human rights defenders regularly denounce the executions, generally by beheading, but the authorities consider them “compatible with Sharia (Islamic law)” and necessary to “maintain public order”.
Saudi Arabia is, with China and Iran, in the top three countries that execute the most people on death row in the world, according to human rights organizations.