A Saudi national was executed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after being sentenced to death for “espionage with an enemy state” and arms smuggling, bringing the number of executions in the country to 23 this year.
“The death penalty was carried out against a criminal who was convicted of espionage with an enemy state, illegally left the kingdom and gathered in one of the country’s camps, where he trained with weapons and explosives”the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement on Twitter.
The statement, translated by the Efe news agency, does not specify which “hostile state” it refers to, nor does it state the dates of the events or details of the trial, saying only that the execution took place “in the eastern part” of Saudi Arabia. Arabia.
The document adds that the man, who identifies as Ahmed ben Ali al-Badr, returned to the kingdom and “smuggled items and weapons to receive military training and carry out his terrorist plan to destabilize the security of the country”. “.
This death brings to 23 the number of Saudis and residents executed since the beginning of the year, mostly convicted of murder, drug trafficking, sodomy or terrorism.
The Euro-Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) reported in early April that one of these executions was the first in 14 years during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when capital punishment is usually not carried out and dozens of prisoners are held. to forgive.
In 2022, the total number of executions reached 147, making the Arab kingdom one of the states with the highest number of executions in the world, along with China, Iran and Egypt.
Source: DN
