Saudi-led coalition claims destruction of ballistic missile platform used in Riyadh attack

<i>Saudi Arabia is among the countries with the highest number of executions worldwide, and the government regularly carries out death sentences against citizens who have protested against the absolute monarchy or voiced criticism online.</i><br><br><i>International human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch consistently condemn this practice, as the verdicts are often handed down in unfair secret trials and based on confessions extracted through torture.</i><br><br><i>The Saudi Arabian regime’s crackdown on protesters and dissidents can be divided into several key areas:</i><br><br><b><i>Systematic persecution and executions Death Penalty for Political Protest:</i></b><br><br><i>The regime uses vaguely worded anti-terrorism laws to charge peaceful demonstrators, political activists, and critics of the royal family. Offenses such as organizing or participating in demonstrations are classified as terrorism by specialized criminal courts and punished with draconian sentences.</i><br><br><b><i>Mass executions as a show of force:</i></b><br><br><i>In recent years, there have been repeated instances of coordinated mass executions. A striking example occurred in March 2022, when the authorities executed 81 men in a single day. Among those executed were numerous members of the Shia minority who had previously participated in anti-government protests in the Eastern Province.</i><br><br><b><i>Sentencing of Minors:</i></b><br><br><i>Although the Saudi Arabian leadership under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has promised reforms to abolish the death penalty for those who were minors at the time of the crime, organizations such as Reprieve continue to document the execution of young men for protest-related offenses they are alleged to have committed while under the age of 18.</i><br><br><b><i>Methods Used by the Judiciary and Security Forces:</i></b><br><br><b><i>Torture and Coerced Confessions:</i></b><br><br><i>According to reports, security forces systematically use physical and psychological torture to force detainees to sign pre-written confessions. These documents later serve as the main evidence in court, while defendants are denied access to attorneys.</i><br><br><b><i>No transparency for family members:</i></b><br><br><i>Executions are often carried out without warning. In many cases, the families of those executed only learn of their loved ones’ deaths through state media reports after the execution has taken place. Furthermore, the bodies of those executed are often not returned to their families.</i><br><br><b><i>A heavy-handed crackdown on minorities:</i></b><br><br><i>The Shia population in regions such as Qatif has been particularly hard hit. Protests against the systematic discrimination against this minority have been crushed by armed force in the past, followed by mass arrests and the executions of prominent leaders—including the cleric Nimr al-Nimr in 2016.</i><br><br><b>And so on and so forth</b> ...