Riyadh uses death penalty as tool to crush Shia Muslims: Amnesty
Amnesty International has warned against what appears to be imminent executions of a dozen Shia Muslims on death row in Saudi Arabia, blasting the Riyadh regime for resorting to death sentences as a “tool” to suppress the kingdom’s Shia minorities.
The UK-based rights body said in a report on Wednesday that there are signs the jailed Shia Muslims – who had been sentenced to death in 2016 – could be facing imminent execution as they were transferred to Saudi Arabia’s so-called Presidency of State Security.
That institution was created last year with the aim of diminishing the powers of the Interior Ministry and putting the king in direct control of “state security” matters.
“The families of the men are terrified by this development and the lack of information provided to them on the status of the cases of their loved ones,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa director.
“Given the secrecy surrounding Saudi Arabia’s judicial proceedings, we fear that this development signals the imminent execution of the twelve men,” Morayed added.
She further said the men had been found guilty of what is claimed to be spying for Iran in “a grossly unfair trial.”
“Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most prolific executioners and regularly uses the death penalty as a political tool to crush dissent from the country’s Shia minority, demonstrating its total contempt for the value of human life,” Morayed added.
Saudi Shia Muslims have long been subjected to discriminatory and abusive policies by the regime in Riyadh. Saudi rulers have also kept the kingdom’s eastern regions – where the Shia Muslims are mainly based – under crackdown in attempt to prevent the minority community from practicing their religion.
Dozens of Shia activists have been languishing behind bars since 2011 merely for participating in protests calling for full equality and basic rights for all Saudis.
In January 2016, Riyadh executed prominent religious scholar Ayatollah Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, one of the most vocal critics of the royal family and an organizer of peaceful anti-regime protests.
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