Saudi Arabia's state-backed Human Rights Commission said on Sunday that three young Shi'ite Muslims sentenced to death when they were minors have had the penalty reduced to 10 years in prison.
Cambian sentencia a joven que iba a morir CRUCIFICADO; le dan 10 años de prisión laverdadnoticias.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from laverdadnoticias.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The number of executions in Saudi Arabia fell dramatically last year after the kingdom stopped carrying out the death penalty for non-violent drug-related crimes.
The Saudi government s Human Rights Commission (HRC) said Monday it documented 27 executions in 2020. That s compared to an all-time high of 184 executions the year before as documented by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
The change represents an 85 per cent reduction in the number of people put to death last year, compared to 2019. The sharp decrease was brought about in part by a moratorium on death penalties for drug-related offences, the Saudi rights commission said.
While it s not clear who ordered judges to cut down on executions, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman s pledged in 2018 to minimise the use of the death penalty as part of sweeping social reforms to modernise the country.
Saudis vowed to stop executing minors; some death sentences remain, rights groups say netscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from netscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.