DUBAI, Jan 2: Two human rights groups condemned Saudi Arabia's soaring use of the death penalty on Thursday after the kingdom carried out the highest number of executions on record last year.
Reprieve and the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR), which monitor executions in Saudi Arabia, said the figures stand in contrast to the country's attempts to present a more tolerant, open image.
Saudi Arabia, under de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is spending big on tourist infrastructure and top sports events such as the 2034 World Cup as it tries to diversify its oil-reliant economy.
According to an AFP tally based on announcements in state media, at least 338 people were executed last year -- nearly twice the 2023 figure of 170, and way above the previous known record of 196 in 2022.
The two rights groups gave a slightly higher toll of 345 for last year. Annual executions have more than doubled since King Salman, Prince Mohammed's father, came to power in 2015, they said.
"This killing spree exposes the reality of Mohammed bin Salman's Saudi Arabia," Jeed Basyouni, head of London-based Reprieve's Middle East and North Africa team, said in a statement.
"How many executions would be too many, before the World Cup arrives in Saudi Arabia in 2034?" he added. "At the current rate, it would be more than 3,000 dead." —AFP
