SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addresses reporters during a news conference with Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal on March 5, 2015, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo: State Department/Public Domain)
John Kerry Arrives in Saudi Arabia Amidst Unprecedented Rise in State Executions
The kingdom has been criticized for state executions for sorcery, drug smuggling, adultery, apostasy, and same-sex intercourse
Mar 05, 2015
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Saudi Arabia coincides with a recent surge of executions in that country.
So far this year, at least 39 people have reportedly been put to death by authorities.
Amnesty International's researcher on Saudi Arabia, Sevag Kechichian, told The Independent, "Since the beginning of the year we've seen an unprecedented rate of executions in the country."
"Despite claims sometimes made by the authorities about carrying out executions to deter terrorism and other violence in the kingdom, almost half of this year's executions have actually been for non-violent drugs-related offenses," said Kechician. "There's no real rhyme or reason for this upsurge in executions, and in a way this makes it all the more alarming."
The Saudi regime has been criticized for state executions--often by beheading and stoning--for sorcery, drug smuggling, adultery, apostasy, and same-sex intercourse. According to the Death Penalty database, maintained by Cornell University Law School, the country has a high rate of executions, with at least 87 people put to death in 2014.
Despite the widespread criticism from human rights groups and others, U.S. officials have remained largely silent about the executions and other human rights abuses inflicted by the Saudi government--one of the U.S.'s most long-standing allies in the Middle East.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Saudi Arabia coincides with a recent surge of executions in that country.
So far this year, at least 39 people have reportedly been put to death by authorities.
Amnesty International's researcher on Saudi Arabia, Sevag Kechichian, told The Independent, "Since the beginning of the year we've seen an unprecedented rate of executions in the country."
"Despite claims sometimes made by the authorities about carrying out executions to deter terrorism and other violence in the kingdom, almost half of this year's executions have actually been for non-violent drugs-related offenses," said Kechician. "There's no real rhyme or reason for this upsurge in executions, and in a way this makes it all the more alarming."
The Saudi regime has been criticized for state executions--often by beheading and stoning--for sorcery, drug smuggling, adultery, apostasy, and same-sex intercourse. According to the Death Penalty database, maintained by Cornell University Law School, the country has a high rate of executions, with at least 87 people put to death in 2014.
Despite the widespread criticism from human rights groups and others, U.S. officials have remained largely silent about the executions and other human rights abuses inflicted by the Saudi government--one of the U.S.'s most long-standing allies in the Middle East.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Saudi Arabia coincides with a recent surge of executions in that country.
So far this year, at least 39 people have reportedly been put to death by authorities.
Amnesty International's researcher on Saudi Arabia, Sevag Kechichian, told The Independent, "Since the beginning of the year we've seen an unprecedented rate of executions in the country."
"Despite claims sometimes made by the authorities about carrying out executions to deter terrorism and other violence in the kingdom, almost half of this year's executions have actually been for non-violent drugs-related offenses," said Kechician. "There's no real rhyme or reason for this upsurge in executions, and in a way this makes it all the more alarming."
The Saudi regime has been criticized for state executions--often by beheading and stoning--for sorcery, drug smuggling, adultery, apostasy, and same-sex intercourse. According to the Death Penalty database, maintained by Cornell University Law School, the country has a high rate of executions, with at least 87 people put to death in 2014.
Despite the widespread criticism from human rights groups and others, U.S. officials have remained largely silent about the executions and other human rights abuses inflicted by the Saudi government--one of the U.S.'s most long-standing allies in the Middle East.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.