Saudi Arabia executes 4 Saudis and 1 Egyptian national on terrorism charges

In the biggest group execution of the year, Saudi Arabia executed five people, on Monday, who were sentenced for being involved and carrying out a deadly attack on a house of worship, said the state media.

The five men, including four Saudis and one Egyptian national, were tried for an attack that claimed the lives of at least five people and wounded others in the kingdom's east, which is home to most Saudi oil and most members of its Shiite minority.

As per AFP reports, an interior ministry statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency did not mention when the attack was carried out and the type of house of worship that was targeted by the assailants.

The method used for the execution was also not specified in the statement, but beheadings have been carried out by the kingdom previously.

This incident has brought the toll of people executed in Saudi Arabia so far to 68.

More than 20 executions have been carried out since early May for terrorism-related offences, the vast majority in the eastern province.

Saudi Arabia executes two Bahrainis on terrorism charges

Earlier, in the month of May, the authorities had executed two Bahraini men after convicting them of having ties to a militant group. The kingdom said the men were part of a group that was looking to destabilise the two Mideast nations.

The executed men, identified as Jaafar Sultan and Sadeq Thamer were apprehended by the Saudi authorities in May 2015 and sent to solitary confinement for three-and-a-half months.

After a court trial, the Specialised Criminal Court sentenced them to death in October 2021. According to the Saudi Press Agency, they were tried on terrorism-related charges over the smuggling of explosive materials into Saudi Arabia and participation in anti-government protests in Bahrain.

Amnesty International had previously criticised the sentencing, saying the two men did not receive adequate representation throughout the legal process.

“Jaafar and Sadeq had no access to legal representation throughout their pre-trial detention and interrogation. According to court documents, they told the court that they were tortured and that their so-called confessions were extracted under duress," the rights group said in a statement.

“In upholding these death sentences, Saudi Arabia’s judicial system has yet again displayed a chilling disregard for human rights. If the King ratifies their death sentences, their execution will constitute an arbitrary deprivation of the right to life," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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