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Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry executes two soldiers on charges of treason. Photo/REUTERS
RIYADH – Ministry of Defense Arab Saudi has executed two military soldiers on charges of treason or treason and other offences.
The execution was announced by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Thursday (14/9/2023).
SPA, citing a Defense Ministry statement, reported that the two soldiers—a pilot and a sergeant major—were arrested in 2017 and sentenced to death on charges of treason and not protecting national interests and military honor.
They were referred to a designated court, given all judicial guarantees and they confessed to what they were accused of.
The statement did not provide details about the violations but Saudi Arabia’s military was closely involved in Yemen in 2017, where the kingdom formed a coalition and has been fighting the Iran-allied Houthi group since 2015.
Fighting in Yemen has largely subsided but Riyadh has struggled to extricate itself from a conflict that killed tens of thousands of people and left millions of Yemenis facing starvation and disease.
In 2021, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also executed three soldiers who were sentenced to death on charges of high treason and collaborating with the enemy.
Saudi Arabia is increasingly receiving global attention for its human rights (HAM) record. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called on Riyadh to stop using the death penalty, citing allegations of torture and unfair trials.
Amnesty said last week that the kingdom had executed 100 people this year and 196 people in 2022, the highest number recorded in the last 30 years.
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