Saudi Arabia executes 81 people in one day, a record

Among them, men linked to the jihadist organization Daesh and the Al-Qaeda network.

The previous “record” dates from 2021. This Saturday, Saudi Arabia executed in a single day 81 people sentenced to death for crimes related to “terrorism.” Seventy-three Saudis, seven Yemenis and one Syrian had been “convicted of committing multiple heinous crimes” in the country, the official SPA news agency reported.

Among them, men linked to the jihadist organization Daesh, the Al-Qaeda network, the Houthi rebels in Yemen and “other terrorist organizations”, the agency said.

“Steadfast stance against terrorism”

Saudi Arabia, which has one of the highest execution rates in the world, generally uses beheading to carry out death sentences.

The 81 people had been sentenced to death for “attacking places of worship, government buildings and facilities vital to the country’s economy”, and for “crimes of kidnapping, torture, rape and smuggling of ‘weapons’, again according to SPA.

“These crimes have resulted in a large number of deaths among civilians and law enforcement,” she added without further details. “The kingdom will continue to adopt an unshakable position (…) against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the whole world”, according to the agency.

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