DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed three soldiers convicted of “high treason” and “cooperation with the enemy,” according to a statement by the kingdom’s defense ministry.
It said the three had been sentenced to death by a specialized court after a fair trial.
The ministry did not name the alleged “enemy,” but the executions were carried out in the southern province bordering Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has been at war against the Iranian-linked Houthi movement for more than six years.
Saudi Arabia is increasingly under scrutiny worldwide for its human rights record since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul and the detention of women’s rights activists.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called on Riyadh to end the use of the death penalty, citing allegations of torture and unfair trials.
Saudi Arabia has denied the charges.
According to the Human Rights Commission, a government body, it executed 27 people in 2020, the lowest in years, compared to a record high of 185 the year before.
Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Clelia Oziel