Thursday, January 2, 2025 - Six Iranian nations have been executed in Saudi Arabia for drug trafficking. This was reported by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Wednesday, January 1.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, the executions
took place in Dammam, on the kingdom’s Gulf coast. The Iranians were sentenced
for "clandestinely introducing hashish" into Saudi Arabia. The exact
date of the executions was not disclosed.
This latest action brings the total number of people executed for drug
trafficking in Saudi Arabia in 2024 to 117, based on an AFP tally of official
figures.
Saudi Arabia ended a moratorium on the death penalty for drug-related
offenses two years ago, leading to a sharp increase in executions. The kingdom
also launched a widely publicized anti-drug campaign in 2023, which included
numerous raids and arrests.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, historically tense, were
severed in 2016 after attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran by
protesters opposing the execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. However,
diplomatic ties were restored in March 2023 following a reconciliation mediated
by China.
Saudi Arabia ranked third globally for the highest number of executions
in 2023, trailing only China and Iran, according to Amnesty International. The
rights group has documented executions in the kingdom since the 1990s and has
consistently criticized Saudi Arabia’s use of the death penalty.Saudi
authorities, however, maintain that capital punishment is necessary for public
order and only implemented after all appeals are exhausted.
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