Print A Record, Within 24 Hours Saudi Arabia Executes 81 People In Cases Of Espionage, Murder And Terrorists

Prison illustration (Photo by Eduardo Balderas on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Last Saturday, March 12, Saudi Arabia set a record. The country has in the past 24 hours executed 81 men, including seven Yemenis and one Syrian on various charges.

Those who were executed were in cases of terrorism, espionage to murder. And this is the Saudi kingdom's largest mass execution in decades.

In 2021, Saudi Arabia executed 67 people. A year earlier, 27 people were also executed.

"These people ... were convicted of various crimes including killing innocent men, women and children," the SPA news agency quoted the article as saying by Daily Sabah as a statement from the interior ministry.

"The crimes committed by these people also include pledging allegiance to foreign terrorist organizations, such as ISIS, Al Qaeda and the Houthis," he added, Monday 14 March.

Some of them also go on trips to conflict zones to join international terrorist organizations.

"The accused are given the right to be accompanied by a lawyer and are guaranteed their full rights under Saudi law during the judicial process," the ministry said.

"The Kingdom will continue to take a firm and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten stability throughout the world," the report added.

Of these, 37 Saudi nationals were found guilty in one case of trying to kill security officers and targeting police stations and convoys.