The figures on capital punishment coming out of Riyadh are staggering: there have been more than 150 people already executed in the kingdom in 2015, far more than in years past, according to Amnesty International.

This year has seen 151 individuals put to�death in�Saudi Arabia, and there are more to�come, Amnesty reported on�Monday. The usual annual figure comes in�at around�90 people.

Some experts claim a clear connection can be made with�the current security situation in�the region � wars, political turbulence and tragic incidents involving civilians.

Another explanation is that there have been more judges appointed in�the country in�2015, allowing for�the hearing of�a backlog of�appeal cases, Reuters reported.

�Death sentences in�Saudi Arabia are frequently imposed for�non-lethal offences, such as�drug-related ones, and after�unfair trials which lack basic safeguards for�fair trial provided for�under international human rights law and standards,� Amnesty described in�an August report.

 

The last time that the number of�executions in�the kingdom was higher dates back to�1995, when 192 death sentences were enforced, the international watchdog wrote, referencing its own records.

In 2014, Saudi Arabia was among�the top three countries with�the highest execution rates, after�China and Iran. Iraq and the US came in�fourth and fifth. These five countries had also executed the most prisoners in�the first six month of�2015, Amnesty International stated in�July.

The international watchdog highlighted that the death penalty is disproportionately used against�foreigners in�Saudi Arabia.

�Foreign nationals, mostly migrant workers from�developing countries, are particularly vulnerable as�they typically lack knowledge of�Arabic and are denied adequate translation during�their trials,� the report read.

UN human rights experts have called on�the Saudi government to�stop the execution of�minors, pointing to�the case of�Ali Mohammed Nimr, who was convicted for�protesting when he was a teenager, a statement from�the UN Office of�the High Commissioner for�Human Rights (OHCHR) issued in�September said.
�Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, a high school student, was arrested in�2012 by�the Saudi authorities when he was 17 for�his participation in�Arab Spring protests in�Qatif, Eastern Province. During his arrest and detention, he was reportedly subjected to�torture and ill treatment by�the General Investigation Directorate � In May 2015, the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) sentenced Mr. al-Nimr to�death� and confirmed its sentence in�September.�


Defenders of�Saudi execution practices argue that beheadings with�a sword � more precisely, a sabre � are more humane than�the lethal injections widespread in�the US, according to�Reuters.

By Sputnik News