Beheadings to Double after UN Appoints Saudi Arabia as Head of Human Rights Council

Saudi Arabia has executed 82 people this year and will likely behead twice as many prisoners as it did in 2015. In 2015, 158 beheadings were carried out, and projections show that the number could reach 320 executions by the end of this year.

The international community is calling for the practice to stop, but that is not likely. Beheadings are very public affairs, and are quite symbolic of the dominance and ruthlessness of those carrying out the bloody punishment.

The beheadings in Saudi Arabia are meant to show that the House of Saud is in control and will be merciless in maintaining their power, including executing their political rivals such as the increasingly restive fundamentalist sects of Islam living in the kingdom. That includes even very young victims who are seen as objectors to Saud rule.

Earlier this week, the [English] Defense Secretary Michael Fallon paid a low-key visit to Saudi Arabia to “help strengthen the UK-Saudi defence relationship”, meeting Crown Prince Muhammad bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the minister of interior who is in charge of ordering executions. Days later, at least two more prisoners were beheaded.

During his trip Mr Fallon also met Saudi defense minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz and other members of the Saudi Royal family. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said he had “reiterated the importance of working together to deal with global threats, including countering the poisonous ideology of Daesh [ISIS] and regional instability”.

However, it did not say whether Mr Fallon had raised the subject of executions with the interior minister. Human rights groups are increasingly concerned about the fates of Ali al Nimr, Dawoud al Marhoon and Abdullah al Zaher, who have all been sentenced to death by the Saudis despite being children at the time of their alleged crimes. All three were convicted for alleged offenses connected to protests calling for reform in the Kingdom and could be executed at any time without warning.

“As Saudi Arabia looks set for yet another record breaking year of beheadings, it is more important than ever that its allies in the UK, Europe and the US call for it to stop,” said Harriet McCulloch, deputy director of the death penalty team at Reprieve.

A Government spokesperson said: “The Defense Secretary visited Saudi Arabia to discuss a range of regional issues. The UK is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and we make our views well known to Saudi Arabia. We have raised these particular cases at the highest levels and will continue to do so. Our expectation remains that the three individuals will not be executed.”

Note that the “criminals” were children at the time of their offense, which was simply political in nature.

Unfortunately, the Western protestors decrying the beheadings in Saudi Arabia are ignorant as to the political realities in the kingdom. The shocking executions are the means by which the Saudi family maintains control of the country, and to keep fundamentalist, radical Muslims from overthrowing the kingdom. And although it is clearly preposterous for the U.N. to award a seat on the Human Rights Council to a Saudi diplomat as they have recently done, it seems equally ridiculous that Westerners would expect the Saud family to commit political suicide by eliminating this brutal yet effective display of power and control from their country. And certainly it should give human rights protesters pause to think of Saudi Arabia in control of the murderous and fanatical likes of ISIS or Al-Queda. We may not like it, but the alternative very well may be worse.

Source: independent.co.uk