Saudi Arabia has executed three soldiers who were sentenced for “high treason” and “cooperating with the enemy” in the southern province bordering Yemen.
The kingdom’s defence ministry disclosed the news in a statement on Saturday, April 10, 2021.
According to the Ministry, the three accused were sentenced to death by a specialist court after a fair trial.
The ministry did not name the alleged “enemy” but the executions were carried in the area bordering Yemen where Saudi Arabia has been at war for more than six years against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, Reuters reported.
Saudi Arabia has come under increasing global scrutiny over its human rights record since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate and the detention of women’s rights activists.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called on Riyadh to stop the use of the death penalty, citing allegations of torture and unfair trials.
However, Saudi Arabia denies the accusations.
In 2020, about 27 people were executed, the lowest in years, down from a record high of 185 the year before, according to the Human Rights Commission, a government body.
