Saudi Arabia Seeks Death Penalty for Human Rights Campaigners

Saudi Arabia will seek the death penalty for a woman’s rights activist alongside four other prominent human rights campaigners, reports detailed on Wednesday.

According to a report by Human Rights Watch, the five individuals, including women’s rights activist Israa al-Ghomgham, are being tried on terrorism charges after engaging in peaceful protests against the Saudi government, which included calls for greater women’s empowerment and an end to discrimination against the country’s Shia minority.

Saudi prosecutors charged the activists with several crimes over their involvement in protests in the Qatif region, such as “incitement to protest,” “chanting slogans hostile to the regime,” “attempting to inflame public opinion,” “filming protests and publishing on social media,” and “providing moral support to rioters.”

The prosecution recommended their execution based on the Islamic law principle of ta’zir, where the judge has full discretion over what constitutes a crime and the appropriate sentence. King Salman bin Abdulazi would need to ratify any conviction in which they are sentenced to execution.

The report has consequently sparked major concern among international rights groups.

“Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like Israa al-Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behavior, is monstrous,” said Human Rights Watch’s Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson. “Every day, the Saudi monarchy’s unrestrained despotism makes it harder for its public relations teams to spin the fairy tale of ‘reform’ to allies and international business.”

“Israa al-Ghomgham and four other individuals are now facing the most appalling possible punishment simply for their involvement in anti-government protests,” added Samah Hadid, Amnesty International’s Middle East director of campaigns. “We are urging the Saudi Arabian authorities to drop these plans immediately.”

The ultra-conservative kingdom, led by its ultra-conservative Sunni monarchy, is known for its appalling human rights record, retaining one of the world’s highest rates of execution. Crimes such as blasphemy, terrorism, homicide, rape, and drug trafficking are all subject to the death penalty, which the government says is an effective deterrent against further crime.

If sentenced to execution, Israa al-Ghomgham would become the first woman’s rights activist to be executed by the government, a move that could damage Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s attempts to style himself as a modernizing reformer.

The 32-year-old prince has already made a number of reforms to women’s rights, that include legalizing women drivers, providing employment for women in government departments, and even allowing them to attend soccer matches.

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