Saudi Arabia says it has executed 81 convicted criminals in a single day, in the largest mass execution in its modern history.
Saudi Arabia’s last mass execution took place in January 2016. Reuters (representative image)
Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed 81 people convicted of murders and various crimes related to terrorist groups, in the largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom in its modern history.
The total number of people killed was higher than the mass executions of those convicted of the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca in January 1980, in which 63 people were beheaded.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency announced Saturday’s executions, saying they included those “convicted of various crimes, including the murder of innocent men, women and children”. The state also said that some of those killed were members of al-Qaeda, the Islamic State group, and supporters of Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
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“The accused were provided with the right of a lawyer and their full rights were guaranteed under Saudi law during the judicial process, which found them guilty of committing a number of heinous crimes, including a large number of civil and law enforcement The officer was killed,” the Saudi Press Agency said.
“The Empire will continue to take a firm and uncompromising stand against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the entire world,” the report said.
The state’s last mass execution took place in January 2016, when the state killed 47 people, including a prominent opposition Shia cleric, who demonstrated in the state.
In 2019, the kingdom beheaded 37 Saudi citizens, most of whom were minority Shia, in mass executions across the country for crimes related to alleged terrorism.