How Death Row Is Different Around The World

The Saudia justice system is based on Shariah law, under which numerous crimes can result in death. These range from the obvious to vague offences like “waging war on God” and witchcraft - as recently as 2014 so-called practicers of sorcery have been beheaded.

Executions take place primarily by public beheading, though the condemned can request of the executioner to be shot instead. While overall numbers are in decline (following the downgrading of drug offences as capital crimes), Saudi Arabia continues to carry out mass executions, often following significant events of unrest.

The entirety of Saudi capital punishment has come under severe criticism worldwide. Most notable is the nation’s propensity for executing migrants, with Pakistani and Indonesian nationals making up some of the 90 non-Saudis executed in 2019. Criminals may be spared with a “blood money” payment to the family of the victims, which is much harder to do for a disconnected migrant.

While the government claims juvenile crimes will no longer receive the death penalty, there are still many condemned languishing on death row, including Mohammed Al Faraj, who was arrested and coerced into confession at 15.