On May 22, 2023, the Ministry of Interior in Saudi Arabia issued a statement indicating that 3 people in the Eastern Province were killed en masse under Taazie death sentences, bringing the total number of sentences implemented since the beginning of the year to 35.
The statement blatantly demonstrated Saudi Arabia's violation of international laws that oblige countries that still apply the death penalty to implement it exclusively for the most serious crime, which is premeditated murder. According to the statement, the sentence was implemented against Hassan Issa al Muhanna, Haider Hassan Mowes, and Muhammad Ibrahim Mowes, on charges that do not include murder or attempted murder.
Among the charges they faced before the Specialized Criminal Court: joining a camp outside the Kingdom belonging to a terrorist organization, training in weapons and bombs, participating in the purchase of a marine boat for smuggling wanted persons, and not reporting who participated in buying it. In addition to receiving the money to locate at sea for smuggling.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights notes that the three cases were not monitored at any of the judicial stages, as the Saudi government did not publish any official news about the arrest or their being wanted.
ESOHR clarifies that these executions confirm the falsity of the official Saudi allegations, which it repeats in international forums, regarding the limitation of punishment to the most serious crimes.
ESOHR believes that the mass execution of three individuals together raises severe fears for the lives of the threatened detainees as the organization follows up on the cases of 63 detainees, including 9 minors, who face the death penalty in different judicial stages. It also considers that the repeated executions of individuals whose cases have not been monitored confirm expectations that the numbers of executions are much higher than what has been monitored.