Saudi Arabia executed five men on Monday, comprising four Saudis and an Egyptian, who were charged with attacking a place of worship, as announced by the authorities.
The kingdom has now reached a total of 68 executions since the start of the year, making it one of the countries with the highest application of the death penalty in the world, according to a count conducted.
According to a statement from the Saudi Interior Ministry, the five individuals were convicted for carrying out an attack that resulted in the death of five people and left several others injured in the eastern region of the country. The statement did not specify the exact date or location of the incident. Additionally, they were found guilty of being members of a “terrorist group.”
Since the beginning of May, over twenty people, predominantly in the eastern region with a Shiite majority, have been executed for terrorism.
Last year, Saudi Arabia faced international outcry after executing 147 individuals, with 81 of them executed on the same day.
A report by the British organisation Reprieve and the Euro Organisation-Saudi Commission for Human Rights, published earlier this year, revealed that over 1,000 executions have taken place since King Salman assumed power in 2015 and his son Mohammed became the de facto ruler of the kingdom.
