170 individuals were executed in Saudi Arabia in 2023, including four on New Year’s Eve, according to an AFP count based on declarations from Saudi officials.
The official Saudi Press Agency announced, citing information from the interior ministry, that the four individuals who were executed on Sunday, December 31, had been found guilty of murder.
They included two in Tabuk, the city in the northwest, one in Riyadh, the capital, and one in Jazan, the city in the southwest.
Throughout 2023, two soldiers found guilty of treason and 33 individuals suspected of offenses related to terrorism were put to death.
There were 38 executions in December, the deadliest month.
A total of 147 convicts were executed in 2022, while a record of 187 executions took place in the kingdom in 2019.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia executed more people than any other country besides China and Iran, Amnesty International has said.