On the occasion of the International Day against the Death Penalty today, 76 parliamentarians from national and EU parliaments have signed a joint statement expressing concern at the alarming escalation in use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia and calling on the Saudi authorities to implement a moratorium on executions and adopt legal reforms. 

The statement, organised by ALQST, has been signed by 13 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), 28 German MdBs, 11 British MPs, 11 Irish Parliamentarians and 13 French Parliamentarians. It notes the soaring rate of executions since the rise to power of Mohammed bin Salman and King Salman, with 196 individuals executed in 2022 alone and 110 this year so far (as of 10 October), as well as other regressive trends which contradict pledges made by the authorities, including the resumption of executions for drug-related offences and the sentencing to death of several young men for offences that took place when they were minors. 

The statement also highlights the particularly cruel way in which capital punishment is practised in Saudi Arabia, with families frequently prevented from saying goodbye to their loved ones and denied the chance to mourn them in accordance with their religious practices, since the authorities in many cases fail to return victims’ bodies to their families. It further describes how, in a country where judicial proceedings are notorious for their disregard of legal safeguards, the authorities use the death penalty as a political weapon to silence dissent. 

ALQST thanks all of the parliamentarians for their support in signing this statement.