The UN denounced this Tuesday that Saudi Arabia has resumed executions with the death penalty for those convicted of crimes related to drug trafficking, after an informal moratorium of 10 months.
Since 10 November, the Saudi penal administration has executed 10 men, three of them on Monday, for crimes related to drugs and their contraband, according to the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights.
🇸🇦#SaudiArabia: The resumption of executions for drug -related offenses is a deeply regrettable step. We call on the authorities to adopt a formal moratorium on executions for drug-related offences. https://t.co/E1mfkIvlSB #EndDeathPenalty pic.twitter.com/ucN4iD1yn4
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) November 22, 2022
This UN agency also called for the release of a Jordanian sentenced to death. Among those executed in recent weeks were four Syrians, three Pakistanis, three Jordanians and seven Saudis.
In total, Saudi Arabia applied the death penalty to 144 people in 2022. Of them, 60 were executed for political reasons and 54 for murder, indicated the UN High Commissioner.
“The resumption of executions for drug offenses in Saudi Arabia is a decision that we deeply regret, even more taking into account that it comes just days after a vast majority of countries called in the UN General Assembly for a global moratorium on the death penalty,” said Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the High Commissioner, at a press conference in Geneva.
The spokesperson explained that applying the death penalty for drug-related offenses is “incompati compatible” with international norms and principles.
“We call on the Saudi authorities to adopt an official moratorium on executions related to drug offenses and that guarantee everyone access to a fair trial, in accordance with international obligations,” he added.
Ryadh applied the death penalty to 100 people last year, after executing to 22 convicted in 2022, according to an AFP count from official sources.
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