On May 29, 2023, Saudi Arabia executed the two Bahrainis, Jaafar Muhammad Sultan, and Sadiq Majeed Thamer, in flagrant violation of international laws and the opinion of the United Nations Special Rapporteurs, who affirmed that their execution is an arbitrary killing.
The two executions raised the number of executions in 2023, to 41, including 19 Taazir death sentences (judgments based on the judge's discretion, which Saudi Arabia had promised to limit).
The European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights had documented a series of violations faced by both Sultan and Thamer, as they were subjected to enforced disappearance, ill-treatment and torture to extract confessions from them. The follow-up of the two cases also confirmed that they did not face the most serious charges according to international law.
The recent executions show Saudi Arabia's insistence on continuing the killings, which increases the danger to the lives of those threatened with execution. ESOHR has monitored 61 detainees on death row, including 9 minors, whose cases involved grave violations.
ESOHR believes that the execution of both Sadiq Thamer and Jaafar Sultan confirms the escalating tendency of disregard for people's lives and the political use of the death penalty. In addition, its disdain for international human rights opinion confirms the reality of officials dealing with international mechanisms, far from promoting cooperation with them. Drifting behind the Saudi propaganda in light of the continuing killings is considered a partner in crime.