March 16, 2022
Cited article by Human Rights Watch
HRRC opposes capital punishments and condemns the implementation of capital punishment en masse. The sentence of death when trials are not conducted fairly or properly is appalling. All people must be allowed a fair trial and to be treated humanely.
Article Summary
In the largest mass execution in recent history, 81 men in Saudi Arabia were executed under the death penalty. Due to systemic issues in the Saudi criminal justice system, it is unlikely that any of the men were sentenced in a fair trial. The families of those executed were notified via media releases at the same time the rest of the world discovered. Activists state that 41 of the men executed belonged to Saudi Arabia's Shia Muslim community, many in this community face harsh sentences or are on death row after unfair trials.
Of the 41 Shia men, only three were convicted of murder charges. The others faced a myriad of other charges, however Human Rights Watch obtained and analyzed the rulings of five of the 41 Shia men. All five cases reportedly contained violations of due process, and all of the men stated in court that they has suffered from ill-treatment and torture to force confessions.