العربية
The Saudi Ministry of Interior announced, on Tuesday 9 May 2023, the execution of the Saudi citizen Anwar Al-Alawi. In its statement, the ministry claimed that Al-Alawi was involved “with a number of wanted men by shooting at a police station, covered up a wanted individual, and had weapons and ammunition.”
As usual, the statement neglected to mention the details of the alleged crime. It did not specify either the targeted police station, the date the targeting took place, or even the names of the alleged wanted persons. Rather, the statement was limited to stating that Anwar Al-Alawi’s conviction had been proven in the Specialized Criminal Court, and the verdict was confirmed by the Appeal and Supreme Courts. Therefore, the execution lacks the minimum standards of transparency.
Therefore, the Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, through its social media accounts, call on Saudi authorities to stop the use of death sentences. The institution further urge the international community, especially the countries allied to the Kingdom including the United Kingdom, to intervene urgently to stop the use of the death penalty, as it has been used periodically to silence opponents and demonstrators, in clear violation of international human rights law, which stipulates that it should be used only in the most serious crimes.