Saudi Arabia executes two Bahraini men on terrorism charges: Report

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on Monday announced it 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 have been identified as Jaafar Sultan and Sadeq Thamer. They 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 condemns the conviction

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.

Kingdom and increased instances of executions

The kingdom has been infamous for its heavy-handedness in dealing with crime and terrorism charges. Despite Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's attempts to showcase a liberal side of Saudi Arabia to the world, the kingdom's capital punishment record paints a different picture. Ever since taking over the reins in 2015, more than 1,000 death sentences have been implemented under his regime.

Since the beginning of the month, a total of nine people have been executed in the country. Cumulatively, 40 executions have taken place in Saudi Arabia in 2023.

The death penalty is permitted in Saudi Arabia for crimes such as rape, murder, sedition, sorcery and drug trafficking. Last year in March, Saudi invited international attention after it executed 81 men in a single day for ‘multiple heinous crimes’, including terrorism.

According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia stands fifth in the world in terms of the highest number of executions. The other four are China, Iran, Egypt and Iraq.

(With inputs from agencies)

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