THE TELEGRAPH: Rise in capital punishment under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite pledge to cut down on the death penalty
Saudi Arabia has reached a record high for executions despite pledges to cut down the death penalty.
There have been some 208 deaths so far in 2024, eclipsing the 2022 record of 196, 81 in a single day.
The executions have been carried out under reformist Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has overseen at least 1,447 executions carried out since he was made Crown Prince to his elderly father, Salman, in 2015.
It comes as on October 9, UN member states will vote on whether to allow Saudi Arabia a seat on the Human Rights Council.
Reforms made in the kingdom include allowing women to drive and bringing in some of the world’s top names in sport and entertainment.
However, the rise in capital punishment continues, with 32 in September alone, and 41 in August, the 2024 monthly high so far, despite a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in 2020. » | Melanie Swan | Sunday, October 6, 2024
