the kingdom executed 170 death row inmates in 2023

Saudi Arabia executed 170 death row inmates in 2023, according to a report established by AFP based on announcements made by the Saudi authorities. This number is increasing compared to 2022 (147) and it is approaching the record of 2019 (187).

The last executions occurred on December 31. They concern Saudis convicted of murder, including two in Tabouk (north), one in Riyadh and the other in Jazane (south), according to press releases from the Saudi Ministry of the Interior, cited by the official SPA agency. Thirty-three people “involved in terrorism cases” and two soldiers convicted of treason are among the 170 executed since the start of the year.

In 2022, Saudi Arabia executed 147 convicts, 81 of whom were executed in a single day, sparking a wave of condemnations around the world. Human rights defenders regularly denounce executions, generally by beheading, but authorities judge them “compatible with Sharia law [loi islamique]” and necessary for “maintain public order”.

Saudi Arabia is, with China and Iran, in the top three countries that execute the most people on death row in the world, according to human rights organizations.