New Executions in Saudi Arabia on Vague Charges Targeting Three Citizens

On Thursday, November 7, 2024, Saudi authorities carried out the execution of three Saudi citizens: Saad bin Bashir Al-Ruwaili, Saad bin Musnad Al-Ruwaili, and Nayel bin Dhabl Al-Ruwaili, based on vague charges related to forming a “terrorist entity” and planning to target security personnel. Sanad Human Rights Organization asserts that these charges lack clarity and precision, raising questions about the credibility of the trials these individuals underwent.

In this context, Sanad views these executions as part of an escalating Saudi policy to suppress freedom of expression and criminalize dissenting opinions, where even tweeting on social media is treated as a terrorist offense and expressing an opinion is seen as a challenge warranting persecution and punishment. The organization emphasizes that Saudi Arabia follows a consistent approach of fabricating charges and falsifying evidence to justify harsh sentences, including executions, against those it considers opponents or critics of its policies.

Sanad Human Rights Organization highlighted that trials in Saudi Arabia lack guarantees of justice, with defendants being deprived of effective legal defense, and sentences are carried out based on ambiguous charges without presenting clear evidence. The organization added that these practices constitute blatant human rights violations and conflict with international standards of justice.

Sanad calls on the international community and human rights organizations to pressure Saudi authorities to halt these executions and ensure fair and transparent trials for detainees. The organization believes that the continuation of these executions poses a serious threat to the right to life and freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia, requiring urgent international action to ensure the protection of human rights.