Neck of the woods
“Ann Harrison, the deputy director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Program, has severely censured the Saudi Arabian government for the execution of a group of Iranian nationals. On May 30, the Persian service of Tabnak news website reported that Saudi officials in Dammam, the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, executed 10 Iranian citizens for alleged involvement in drug trafficking. In an analysis published on June 15, Harrison said that foreign nationals in Saudi Arabia face discrimination in relation to the death penalty, and executions are on the rise. As Amnesty International has documented for many years, it is true that a large number of people are executed in Saudi Arabia after grossly unfair trials, Harrison stated. ………….”
This was Iran’s Fars news agency gloating over the Amnesty International reaction to Saudi Arabia’s sudden execution of 10 Iranians. That is a HUGE number at one time, even allegedly for drug smuggling; but there have been larger “batches” of beheadings: one was in 1989 when they announced the execution of 16 young Kuwaiti men after a quick secret trial, then there was the aftermath of the Juhayman uprising in Mecca in 1979-80. It is true, Saudi courts, rather judges, pass sudden execution (by beheading) sentences often without benefit of defense and other “normal” court procedures. Yet Amnesty International has also often criticized Iran’s easy death sentences, including the recent sentence of several Arabic-speaking Ahwazi-Iranian men from Khuzistan Province. Two or three of these men were reportedly hanged this week, rather quickly and I never heard of any appeal of the sentences. This is what one AI official wrote about that:
“I must admit that I had to blink and look away for a moment when I saw the Iranian news agency headline: ‘Execution of Iranian citizens in Saudi Arabia was a medieval act’. As Amnesty International has documented for many years, it is true a large number of people are executed in Saudi Arabia after grossly unfair trials. Foreign nationals face discrimination in relation to the death penalty and executions for drugs offences are on the rise .…………However, it is bizarre for an Iranian news source to state so blatantly that “executing a foreign national for a crime less serious than murder is a sign of barbarity”. International standards do indeed prohibit the use of the death penalty except for “crimes with an intention to kill which resulted in the loss of life”, but we shouldn’t forget that Iran is second only to China…………”
Something about our region: it is in love with capital punishment, whether by beheading or by hanging or otherwise. Our region probably beats even Texas in its love for executions, and Texans are known to truly love executions be they fair or unfair. In Texas, as long as someone is executed for a crime, then Texans are happy feeling that justice was somehow done. Even if, as it sometimes turns out, the person executed is innocent of the crime for which he or she was executed. As some Texas reporter once commented: “Texans just like executions”.
I think executions should be banned, and not just in Texas or other Middle Eastern countries.
Cheers
mhg
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