Amnesty report finds Saudi Arabia executed 175 in past year

[webfact]

Amnesty report finds Saudi Arabia executed 175 in past year

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia has executed at least 175 people over the past 12 months, on average one person every two days, according to a report released Tuesday by Amnesty International.

The 43-page report titled "Killing In the Name of Justice: The Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia" said that between January 1985 and June 2015, at least 2,208 people were executed in the kingdom. An Associated Press tally based on official announcements shows that Saudi Arabia executed 109 people since January, compared to 83 in all of 2014.

The kingdom follows a strict interpretation of Islamic law and applies the death penalty to a number of crimes including murder, rape and drug smuggling. Though not as common, Saudi Courts allow for people to be executed for adultery, apostasy and witchcraft.

People can also be executed for crimes committed when they were below 18 years of age.

"Saudi Arabia's faulty justice system facilitates judicial executions on a mass scale," Said Boumedouha, acting director of Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa program, said in a statement.

In one case highlighted in the report, two sets of brothers from the same extended family were executed in August 2014 in the southern city of Najran after being convicted of receiving large quantities of hashish. Amnesty said the men claimed they were tortured during interrogation and sentenced to death largely based on confessions made after being beaten and deprived of sleep.

Amnesty said it reached out to the Saudi Interior and Justice ministries, but received no reply.

Most executions are carried out by beheading, though some are also done by firing squad. In rare cases, executed bodies have been displayed in public to deter others from committing crime.

Islamic law as practiced in Saudi Arabia allows for retribution in some cases, whereby relatives of the murder victim have the right to decide if the offender should be executed or pardoned. If pardoned, compensation or "blood money" is often paid to the family. In one case reported in Saudi media in 2012, a father pardoned his son's killer on condition he memorize the Quran before leaving prison.

Amnesty said almost half of those executed during the last 30 years were foreign nationals, many of whom lack the Arabic skills to understand court proceedings and charges. Almost a third of those executed were for drug-related offenses.

The rights group said Saudi authorities have denied its researchers access to the country. The London-based rights group said it researched cases for this report by contacting people before their execution and reaching out to relatives and lawyers, in addition to analyzing available court documents.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-08-25

[whatproblem]

I wish this was about the UK ,in the UK the courts say go home and not do it again and if it a foreigner ' how can we help you more'

[little mary sunshine]

Unlike the U.S. with their appeals after appeals These

Guys don't screw around. Good for them!! So sick of

The criminals getting away with so much in the US legal

System!!!!.

[IAMHERE]

What crimes did the other 2/3 rds of foreigners commit to be put to death?

[micmichd]

USA and Europe should rethink if they want allies like this.

[rijit]

Unlike the U.S. with their appeals after appeals These

Guys don't screw around. Good for them!! So sick of

The criminals getting away with so much in the US legal

System!!!!.

So how do you feel about the people that were killed DIRECTLY by mistakes in the justice system. I suppose you think thats just unfortunate. Dont think youd be saying that if it were your son or daughter or even friend. The death sentance cannot be a punishment it 100% falls down when enevitably it takes innocent lifes.

rijit

Edited August 25, 2015 by rijit

[Cats4ever]

European countries did this sort of stuff for centuries. It didn't work as a deterrent. As civilisation took hold, punishments were tempered. Yes, sometimes certain crimes bring out the atavistic urges and we want instant revenge. The instances of innocents being executed should help control those urges. It is very hard to make things right with a cadaver. Personally I prefer justice with a bit of mercy, as a signal to the really bad, that we are better than them.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Cats4ever

[Credo]

European countries did this sort of stuff for centuries. It didn't work as a deterrent. As civilisation took hold, punishments were tempered. Yes, sometimes certain crimes bring out the atavistic urges and we want instant revenge. The instances of innocents being executed should help control those urges. It is very hard to make things right with a cadaver. Personally I prefer justice with a bit of mercy, as a signal to the really bad, that we are better than them.

Most evil people do not ever see us as being better than them, they only see us as being weaker.

The death penalty, whether one agrees with it or not, should be applied sparingly. It would seem that SA is using it in excess.

[little mary sunshine]

Unfortunate if executed and was innocent, that rarely happens.

Such is life with the criminal elements of society.

[Bakseeda]

Only 175 .... Its a beginning!

[Naam]

USA and Europe should rethink if they want allies like this.

perhaps you should submit a petition to the White House and the European parliament?

[Thakkar]

It seems to me that people who claim to care about justice, really care about punishment and revenge.

Apart from the very strong likelihood* that the death penalty doesn't work as a deterrent, it is morally repugnant and an abuse of State power.

*http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6124&context=jclc and http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-26/fact-check3a-does-the-death-penalty-deter3f/6116030

T

[Hayduke]

Unlike the U.S. with their appeals after appeals These

Guys don't screw around. Good for them!! So sick of

The criminals getting away with so much in the US legal

System!!!!.

A point that most people miss completely. In fact, in the US horrendous evils like apostasy and witchcraft aren't even illegal. What's even more incredible is that no one seems to care.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Hayduke

[rijit]

It seems to me that people who claim to care about justice, really care about punishment and revenge.

Apart from the very strong likelihood* that the death penalty doesn't work as a deterrent, it is morally repugnant and an abuse of State power.

*http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6124&context=jclc and http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-26/fact-check3a-does-the-death-penalty-deter3f/6116030

T

Not that i' m terribly disagreeing with you but both are personal value judgements and easily argued against . Where the arguement for the death penalty totaly 100 % loses is, is it worth the life of ONE innocent person.The answer has to be NO. If your looking to bac that up just look at the people executed in the good old us of a based on solely 'hair evidence.'

rijit

[samran]

The resident TV keyboard warrior crew can't keep their lines straight

On one and it is down with those evil muslims. On the other hand they can't get enough of their judicial system!!

[Briggsy]

The Saudi justice system is no justice system.

Verdicts and sentences are totally arbitrary in relation to the strength of evidence. Judges take great account of the social status of the defendant's and alleged victim's families when coming to any decision.. There is no oversight of judges, each one being a law to himself. There is no written statute other than Sharia law.

Woe betide any of the hang 'em high brigade here if they ever have the misfortune to get caught up in the Saudi justice system.

[Grouse]

European countries did this sort of stuff for centuries. It didn't work as a deterrent. As civilisation took hold, punishments were tempered. Yes, sometimes certain crimes bring out the atavistic urges and we want instant revenge. The instances of innocents being executed should help control those urges. It is very hard to make things right with a cadaver. Personally I prefer justice with a bit of mercy, as a signal to the really bad, that we are better than them.

Sensible comment of the day. Well said!

I suspect we better run for the hills as Wyatt Earp and the usual lot go for the jugular!

[Grouse]

Unlike the U.S. with their appeals after appeals These

Guys don't screw around. Good for them!! So sick of

The criminals getting away with so much in the US legal

System!!!!.

A point that most people miss completely. In fact, in the US horrendous evils like apostasy and witchcraft aren't even illegal. What's even more incredible is that no one seems to care.

I assume you are being ironic?

You want apostasy and witchcraft to be illegal? As a born again atheist and Jehova's bystander I object to the former. As to witchcraft what about Hallowean - the most popular celebration in the USA I hear!

[ZuluSixNine]

There will always be the pros and cons of this type of story and its a good forum topic.

But the truth is that, these so called developing countries will beat a confession out of a prisoner if the evidence is weak and they have no other suspects.

If they support the death sentence and the evidence is indisputable, then crimes like pedophilia, rape, murder, drug dealing and trafficking especially when children are the victims, then we have to ask ourselves do we really want these people in our society?

The Islamic laws used today are based on what was status quo in and around in 600 AD, dictated to a scribe by an illiterate man looking to control the masses, world has evolved since then.

Edited August 26, 2015 by ZuluSixNine

[micmichd]

There will always be the pros and cons of this type of story and its a good forum topic.

But the truth is that, these so called developing countries will beat a confession out of a prisoner if the evidence is weak and they have no other suspects.

If they support the death sentence and the evidence is indisputable, then crimes like pedophilia, rape, murder, drug dealing and trafficking especially when children are the victims, then we have to ask ourselves do we really want these people in our society?

The Islamic laws used today are based on what was status quo in and around in 600 AD, dictated to a scribe by an illiterate man looking to control the masses, world has evolved since then.

That's a good point. Evidence might have be gained by torture. And once the defendant is dead, no one will open his/her case again.

[Credo]

There will always be the pros and cons of this type of story and its a good forum topic.

But the truth is that, these so called developing countries will beat a confession out of a prisoner if the evidence is weak and they have no other suspects.

If they support the death sentence and the evidence is indisputable, then crimes like pedophilia, rape, murder, drug dealing and trafficking especially when children are the victims, then we have to ask ourselves do we really want these people in our society?

The Islamic laws used today are based on what was status quo in and around in 600 AD, dictated to a scribe by an illiterate man looking to control the masses, world has evolved since then.

That's a good point. Evidence might have be gained by torture. And once the defendant is dead, no one will open his/her case again.

The problem with that argument is that then there is a possibly very dangerous criminal still on lose to rape, kill or molest.

[Scott]

Beating a confession doesn't mean the person did it. While working in Iraq during some rather difficult times, there were large numbers of displaced people in Northern Iraq due to the no fly zone. There was a series of rapes and murders of young boys, as I recall it was at least 13 killed. They eventually found a potential perpetrator, beat him senseless, held a very hasty trial and then executed him. All this happened within a matter of hours.

Unfortunately, the following day, another boy was found raped and murdered.

Had the person even been held in jail for a few days, it would have become obvious that he was not the perpetrator of these crimes.