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
Outrage Follows Saudi Arabia's Execution of Nearly 50 Prisoners
Saudi Arabia--recently chosen to to head a key United Nations human rights panel--on Saturday executed 47 people convicted of "terrorism," including at least four convicted of offenses related to political protest.
According to Reuters, the executions took place in 12 cities in Saudi Arabia, with four prisons using firing squads and the others beheading.
Jan 02, 2016
Saudi Arabia--recently chosen to to head a key United Nations human rights panel--on Saturday executed 47 people convicted of "terrorism," including at least four convicted of offenses related to political protest.
According to Reuters, the executions took place in 12 cities in Saudi Arabia, with four prisons using firing squads and the others beheading.
Among those killed was prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, whom the Guardian reports "had called for pro-democracy demonstrations and whose arrest in 2012 sparked protests in which three people died."
"Nimr," the Guardian added, "had long been regarded as the most vocal Shia leader in the eastern Saudi province of Qatif, willing to publicly criticise the ruling al-Saud family and call for elections. He was, however, careful to avoid calling for violence, analysts say."
The Associated Press noted that "The execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr is expected to deepen discontent among Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority and heighten sectarian tensions across the region."
The mass execution comes on the heels of a deadly year that saw Saudi Arabia execute more than 150 people, "many of them for non-violent offenses," said Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at international human rights organization Reprieve.
"Today's appalling news, with nearly 50 executed in a single day, suggests 2016 could be even worse," Foa said on Saturday. "Alarmingly, the Saudi Government is continuing to target those who have called for domestic reform in the kingdom, executing at least four of them today."
What's more, she added, "there are now real concerns that those protesters sentenced to death as children could be next in line to face the swordsman's blade." According to Reprieve, the list of people executed did not include the names of a number of people sentenced to death as children who are still facing execution--including Ali al Nimr, Sheikh Nimr's nephew; Dawoud al Marhoon; and Abdullah al Zaher, who were also sentenced to death over their alleged involvement in the 2012 anti-government protests, despite having been aged 17, 17, and 15 respectively at the time.
"Saudi Arabia's allies--including the U.S. and UK--must not turn a blind eye to such atrocities and must urgently appeal to the Kingdom to change course," Foa concluded.
Many echoed that call on social media, highlighting the apparent hypocrisy of Saudi Arabia's seat on the UN Human Rights Council.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition that has been dropping bombs in Yemen for more than nine months, killing scores of civilians and destroying critical infrastructure, announced Saturday the end of a ceasefire that had been in place since December 15.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. 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. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Saudi Arabia--recently chosen to to head a key United Nations human rights panel--on Saturday executed 47 people convicted of "terrorism," including at least four convicted of offenses related to political protest.
According to Reuters, the executions took place in 12 cities in Saudi Arabia, with four prisons using firing squads and the others beheading.
Among those killed was prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, whom the Guardian reports "had called for pro-democracy demonstrations and whose arrest in 2012 sparked protests in which three people died."
"Nimr," the Guardian added, "had long been regarded as the most vocal Shia leader in the eastern Saudi province of Qatif, willing to publicly criticise the ruling al-Saud family and call for elections. He was, however, careful to avoid calling for violence, analysts say."
The Associated Press noted that "The execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr is expected to deepen discontent among Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority and heighten sectarian tensions across the region."
The mass execution comes on the heels of a deadly year that saw Saudi Arabia execute more than 150 people, "many of them for non-violent offenses," said Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at international human rights organization Reprieve.
"Today's appalling news, with nearly 50 executed in a single day, suggests 2016 could be even worse," Foa said on Saturday. "Alarmingly, the Saudi Government is continuing to target those who have called for domestic reform in the kingdom, executing at least four of them today."
What's more, she added, "there are now real concerns that those protesters sentenced to death as children could be next in line to face the swordsman's blade." According to Reprieve, the list of people executed did not include the names of a number of people sentenced to death as children who are still facing execution--including Ali al Nimr, Sheikh Nimr's nephew; Dawoud al Marhoon; and Abdullah al Zaher, who were also sentenced to death over their alleged involvement in the 2012 anti-government protests, despite having been aged 17, 17, and 15 respectively at the time.
"Saudi Arabia's allies--including the U.S. and UK--must not turn a blind eye to such atrocities and must urgently appeal to the Kingdom to change course," Foa concluded.
Many echoed that call on social media, highlighting the apparent hypocrisy of Saudi Arabia's seat on the UN Human Rights Council.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition that has been dropping bombs in Yemen for more than nine months, killing scores of civilians and destroying critical infrastructure, announced Saturday the end of a ceasefire that had been in place since December 15.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Saudi Arabia--recently chosen to to head a key United Nations human rights panel--on Saturday executed 47 people convicted of "terrorism," including at least four convicted of offenses related to political protest.
According to Reuters, the executions took place in 12 cities in Saudi Arabia, with four prisons using firing squads and the others beheading.
Among those killed was prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, whom the Guardian reports "had called for pro-democracy demonstrations and whose arrest in 2012 sparked protests in which three people died."
"Nimr," the Guardian added, "had long been regarded as the most vocal Shia leader in the eastern Saudi province of Qatif, willing to publicly criticise the ruling al-Saud family and call for elections. He was, however, careful to avoid calling for violence, analysts say."
The Associated Press noted that "The execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr is expected to deepen discontent among Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority and heighten sectarian tensions across the region."
The mass execution comes on the heels of a deadly year that saw Saudi Arabia execute more than 150 people, "many of them for non-violent offenses," said Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at international human rights organization Reprieve.
"Today's appalling news, with nearly 50 executed in a single day, suggests 2016 could be even worse," Foa said on Saturday. "Alarmingly, the Saudi Government is continuing to target those who have called for domestic reform in the kingdom, executing at least four of them today."
What's more, she added, "there are now real concerns that those protesters sentenced to death as children could be next in line to face the swordsman's blade." According to Reprieve, the list of people executed did not include the names of a number of people sentenced to death as children who are still facing execution--including Ali al Nimr, Sheikh Nimr's nephew; Dawoud al Marhoon; and Abdullah al Zaher, who were also sentenced to death over their alleged involvement in the 2012 anti-government protests, despite having been aged 17, 17, and 15 respectively at the time.
"Saudi Arabia's allies--including the U.S. and UK--must not turn a blind eye to such atrocities and must urgently appeal to the Kingdom to change course," Foa concluded.
Many echoed that call on social media, highlighting the apparent hypocrisy of Saudi Arabia's seat on the UN Human Rights Council.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition that has been dropping bombs in Yemen for more than nine months, killing scores of civilians and destroying critical infrastructure, announced Saturday the end of a ceasefire that had been in place since December 15.
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.