The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
“Over the last two weeks executions have been taking place almost daily in Saudi Arabia after the authorities ended a 21-month unofficial moratorium on the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences,” Throssell said.
“Since 10 November, 17 men have been executed for what are termed drug and contraband offences – the latest three executions on Monday. Those executed to date are four Syrians, three Pakistanis, three Jordanians, and seven Saudis,” she added.
“As executions are only confirmed after they take place in Saudi Arabia, we do not have any information as to how many people may be on death row. However, according to some reports we have received, a Jordanian man, Hussein abo al-Kheir, may be at risk of imminent execution,” the spokesperson said.
Throssell said al-Kheir’s case had previously been taken up by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which found that his detention was arbitrary because it lacked a legal basis and there were grave concerns relating to his right to a fair trial.
“We urge the Saudi Government to halt al-Kheir’s reported imminent execution and to comply with the Working Group’s opinion by quashing his death sentence, releasing him immediately and unconditionally, and by ensuring that he receives medical care, compensation and other reparations,” she stated.
The resumption of executions for drug-related offences in Saudi Arabia is a deeply regrettable step, all the more so coming just days after a wide majority of States in the UN General Assembly called for a moratorium on the death penalty worldwide.
“Imposing the death penalty for drug offences is incompatible with international norms and standards,” she stated.
The UN Human Rights Office calls on the Saudi authorities to adopt a formal moratorium on executions for drug-related offences, to commute death sentences for drug-related offences, and to ensure the right to a fair trial for all defendants, including those charged with such offences, in line with its international obligations.
For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva:
Liz Throssell – + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or
Marta Hurtado – + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org or
Jeremy Laurence – +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
In Nairobi:
Seif Magango – +254 788 343 897 / seif.magango@un.org
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
- Exterior shot: Alley of flags Palais des Nations
- Interior shot: wide shot Briefing room podium
- UN Human Rights spokesperson spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell (OHCHR): “Over the last two weeks executions have been taking place almost daily in Saudi Arabia after the authorities ended a 21-month unofficial moratorium on the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences.”
- Cut Away: Briefing room podium
- UN Human Rights spokesperson spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell (OHCHR): “Since 10 November, 17 men have been executed for what are termed drug and contraband offences – the latest three executions on Monday. Those executed to date are four Syrians, three Pakistanis, three Jordanians, and seven Saudis.”
- Cut Away: Briefing room journalist
- UN Human Rights spokesperson spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell (OHCHR): “As executions are only confirmed after they take place in Saudi Arabia, we do not have any information as to how many people may be on death row. However, according to some reports we have received, a Jordanian man, Hussein abo al-Kheir, may be at risk of imminent execution.”
- Cut Away: Briefing room participants
- UN Human Rights spokesperson spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell (OHCHR): “We urge the Saudi Government to halt al-Kheir’s reported imminent execution and to comply with the Working Group’s opinion by quashing his death sentence, releasing him immediately and unconditionally, and by ensuring that he receives medical care, compensation and other reparations.”
- Cut Away: Briefing room podium
- UN Human Rights spokesperson spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell (OHCHR): “Imposing the death penalty for drug offences is incompatible with international norms and standards.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP , OCHA
UN urges opening of all Gaza crossings to deliver three-month food supply
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. The agency says it already has enough supplies in place to feed the entire population of the Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNDP , UNICEF , OCHA , ICRC
Around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza and make it safe after two years of war, UN development experts said on Tuesday, while aid agencies reported that far too little aid continues to reach desperate Palestinians.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize committee’s decision to name Maria Machado as this year’s laureate, in recognition of her work promoting the Venezuelan people’s democratic hopes.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , UNICEF , WHO
As Gazans jammed the main route leading north on Friday after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was announced, UN aid teams repeated their call to open all crossings into the devastated enclave to prevent famine spreading.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WHO
Two years of Gaza-Israel war bring ‘indescribable’ pain: UN humanitarians
Two years since the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, UN humanitarians on Tuesday reiterated calls for the release of all hostages in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire and an aid surge to alleviate Palestinians’ suffering, as talks on a US-driven peace plan continued in Egypt.
1
1
1
Edited News
Syria prison survivor seeks justice for the missing with UN backing.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC
Quadcopter victims, terror and death: 30 minutes in a Gaza hospital
UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday delivered his oral update to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session on the human rights situation in Haiti.
The High Commissioner welcomed Wednesday’s decision of the UN Security Council to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, stating it is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Gaza: As world waits for US peace plan news, UN aid teams stress need for ceasefire
UN agencies reiterated calls for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to help alleviate Palestinian suffering, as a new US 20-point plan raised hopes of a halt to the fighting.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm the war-torn enclave’s medical professionals, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone, the UN World Health Organization said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A UN Human Rights report released today details the dire situation of thousands of civilians detained since Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine in 2022.