Seven United Nations Special Rapporteurs expressed their shock and outrage at the information they received about the execution of 81 people by Saudi Arabia on March 12, 2022.
In a letter to the Saudi government sent on March 28, 2022, the Special Rapporteurs considered that the details received about the mass execution indicate that it constitutes a violation of the fundamental right to life and a violation of international law and the absolute prohibition of torture.
The letter was signed by the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial or summary executions, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, and the Special Rapporteur on torture.
The Special Rapporteurs explained that the information they received indicated that Saudi Arabia executed 81 people on charges related to terrorism. These executions alone exceeded the total number of executions carried out in 2021. The letter also revealed that among those executed 41 persons were Shiite minorities accused of participating in the protests against the government.
The letter showed that among those executed were Aqil Al-Faraj Muhammad Al-Shakhouri and Asaad Shuber, whose cases had been raised with the Saudi government previously. The sentences against them came after unfair trials, including torture. The rapporteurs also clarified that Al-Faraj, Shuber, and Al-Shakhouri faced charges that were not the most serious crimes according to international laws.
The Special Rapporteurs highlighted that nearly all of the death sentences carried out were in complete secrecy, and the victims' families were not notified. In addition, the bodies of those executed were not returned to their families. The letter revealed that after the mass execution and between March 15 and 17, the Saudi government executed 8 other people.
The letter indicated that executing 81 people on charges related to terrorism is a cause of concern. The United Nations has made clear to the Saudi government, more than once, the importance of preserving the basics of international human rights law in efforts to combat terrorism.
The rapporteurs emphasized that the UN recommendations referred to the broad definition of terrorism in Saudi legislation and encouraged the Saudi government to review and reconsider the law to ensure its compliance with its human rights and international obligations.
The Special Rapporteurs urged Saudi Arabia to take all necessary interim measures to stop the alleged violations and prevent their recurrence and stressed the importance of ensuring that anyone responsible for the alleged violations was held accountable.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights asserts that Saudi Arabia has violated its international obligations in the mass execution and ignored the views and recommendations of the previous special rapporteurs. The organization notes that the Saudi government has not complied with any of the international advice and is still using anti-terrorism legislation in an unjustified manner. Currently, according to the monitoring of the European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights, at least 40 people, including 5 minors, face the risk of execution in light of trials that lack the conditions of justice, and on charges that are not considered among the most serious.