These death row inmates are accused of having attempted to foment several attacks in the kingdom, according to the official SPA news agency.
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Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday, March 12, that it had executed in a single day 81 people accused of crimes related to the “terrorism”. This exceeds the total number of death sentences in 2021 in the country, reports the official SPA news agency. Those executed (73 Saudis, seven Yemenis and one Syrian) are accused of belonging to several terrorist groups, including the jihadist organization Islamic State and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the agency adds.
According to SPA, these convicts attempted to foment several attacks in the kingdom, in particular against places of worship, government buildings as well as “vital facilities for the country’s economy”. They are also accused of attempting to kill law enforcement officers and smuggling weapons.
Still according to SPA, each of the culprits was “convicted by Saudi courts in trials supervised by 13 judges”. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world, with 69 death sentences in 2021, according to an AFP tally based on official statements.