At a time when Saudi Arabia and Iran have decided to bury the hatchet, it’s worth remembering that they are historical rivals as one of the world’s top executioners of death row inmates. This Monday, Iran reached 203 executions since the start of the year, confirming a trend of increased convictions and executions in response to a movement of rebellion against the regime, which was sparked by the death of a young woman detained for abuse in September. Islamic scarf.
The last two people to be executed in the Islamic Republic were Yusuf Mehrad and Sadrullah Fazeli Zare. In 2022, Tehran executed at least 582 people — up from 333 the previous year — and was the second-highest executioner behind China. The number is lower in Saudi Arabia (the fourth most executed country in 2021), but a report by the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights and Redemption shows how executions have grown exponentially since Prince Mohammed bin Salman became president. Truly: Between 2015 and 2022, an average of 147 people were executed per year, an 82% increase compared to the 2010-2014 period. 81 people were hanged on a single day in 2022.
In both countries, the death penalty is used to punish opponents, discourage dissent and dissent, and both have records of executions for crimes committed as minors. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the relatives of two Saudi Arabians, aged 17 in one case and between 15 and 17 in the other, were asked to stay their executions for alleged crimes.
Both Abdullah al-Terazi and Yusuf al-Manasif are from the Qatif region, home to the country’s Shiite minority, which sees itself as the leader of the Sunni world, and were arrested for taking part in protests or funerals. “The government of Saudi Arabia is deaf to our cries, but it will hear it,” Terasi’s cousin Blinken writes, in a letter cited by the newspaper. Guardian. The young man, the speech continues, was arrested “to intimidate people into stopping the struggle.” A 2020 royal decree ended the death penalty for minors in crimes, but the practice continued.
In a different message to the Joe Biden administration, two senators, Chris Murphy, a Democrat, and Mike Lee, a Republican, introduced a resolution to compel the White House to release a report on human rights abuses in the monarchy and an explanation of Washington’s actions. It has taken action in response to these violations. If the resolution is passed, explain it GuardianIt would allow Congress to recommend changes to cooperation between Riyadh and Washington, such as “imposing limits on military aid linked to human rights conditions”.