Saudi Arabia’s authorities have demonstrated their utter disregard for human rights and life by executing 47 people in a single day, said Amnesty International on Saturday.
Those put to death on Saturday included prominent Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, who was convicted after a political and grossly unfair trial at the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC). With the exception of the Sheikh and three Shia Muslim activists, the others were convicted of involvement with al-Qaeda.
“Saudi Arabia’s authorities have indicated that the executions were carried out to fight terror and safeguard security. However, the killing of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in particular suggests they are also using the death penalty in the name of counter-terror to settle scores and crush dissidents,” said Philip Luther, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.
Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr had been a vocal critic of the Saudi Arabian government and was among seven activists whose death sentences were upheld earlier this year. They had all been arrested for participating in protests in the Kingdom’s predominantly Shia Eastern Province in 2011, and for calling for political reform.
