Saudi Arabia Executes Six Iranian Citizens

The official news agency of Saudi Arabia reported the execution of six Iranians accused of drug trafficking in the country. On Wednesday, January 1, 2024, citing a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Interior, the news agency reported that the charge against these Iranians was 'smuggling hashish' into Saudi Arabia, adding that their death penalty was carried out in the coastal city of Dammam. There was no mention of the time of arrest, execution, or the method of execution of these Iranian defendants. Execution by sword and beheading is considered a common method of execution in Saudi Arabia. According to AFP, the death penalty for drug-related offenses in Saudi Arabia has been increasing over the past two years. Reuters reported that the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year reached 330, the highest number in several decades, and added that executions in Saudi Arabia saw a sharp increase in 2024. AFP also reported that drug-related executions in Saudi Arabia during the 2024 calendar year reached 117. According to Amnesty International, China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Saudi Arabia were recognized as having the highest number of executions in the world in 2023. The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that in 'strong protest' against this action by Saudi Arabia, it summoned the Saudi ambassador in Tehran. Karimi Shashti, the Director General of Consular Affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, claimed that this ministry had made 'continuous efforts' to provide consular services and reduce the punishment for these citizens, and deemed the execution of sentences 'without prior notice to the embassy' as unacceptable, calling it 'a violation of international legal norms.' This comes at a time when the Iranian government has condemned many prisoners to severe punishments, including execution, without a transparent legal process, and many have been executed without prior notice to their lawyer or family. The increase in executions globally; the Iranian government tops the list. Nearly a year after the 'normalization of relations'; Saudi exports to Iran are 'zero'. Dozens of British parliamentarians: Executions in Iran are to 'create terror'. Saudi Arabia executed two of its military personnel on charges of 'treason.'