Saudi Arabia mass executes 81 people

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Saturday carried out a mass execution of 81 people, the country’s state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.

The 81 individuals were convicted of terrorism and capital crimes, including the murder of innocent men, women and children, according to Saudi’s Ministry of Interior.

The executed individuals were “guilty of committing multiple heinous crimes that left a large number of civilians and law enforcement officers dead,” according to the Press Agency, 

In addition to murder, the convictions also included kidnapping, torture, rape and smuggling weapons and bombs into the country.

Specific crimes of the individuals included: membership in terrorist organizations such as ISIS, Al Qaeda and the Houthi rebels of Yemen; targeting Saudi residents; traveling to regional conflict zones to join terrorist organizations; targeting members of the Saudi government; killing and maiming law enforcement officers; and targeting police vehicles with land mines.

The executed individuals were arrested and tried in Saudi courts, the Press Agency reported, saying that each individual was seen by 13 judges over three separate stages of trial.

The individuals maintained their full rights under Saudi law during the process of the trials and were allowed access to lawyers, the Press Agency noted.

“The Kingdom will continue to take a strict and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the entire world,” the Agency added.