Saudi Arabia has one of the highest levels of executions of any country in the world,
says Amnesty International
Magic
Movement, a group of young Bangladeshis, stage a mock execution to
protest Saudi
Arabia beheading eight Bangladeshi workers in October 2011
Saudia Arabia beheaded a Pakistani man on Wednesday, marking the 83rd beheading this
The unnamed man was convicted of smuggling "large quantities" of heroin, the kingdom's
state news agency reported. He is the 13th prisoner from Pakistan to be executed in
Saudi Arabia since mid-October
Amnesty International claims Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world. The organisation lists 79 executions during 2012-2013,
and 82 in 2010-2011. The human rights group says at least 69 people were executed in the
state in 2009.
Topping the list of highest number of executions this year are Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the
US.
However, these figures do not include China. The number of people executed in this country
is a state secret, but the US-based humanitarian organisation Dui Hua Foundation estimates
that 2,400 people would have been executed during 2014.
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Sharia – Islamic law – and applies the death
penalty for a number of crimes including murder, rape, apostasy and witchcraft. The kingdom
has come under fire from human rights groups in the past for executions carried out for non
-fatal crimes.