US State Department spokesman refuses to sentence 81 people to death in Saudi Arabia
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Monday evening local time in response to a reporter’s question that he was aware of reports of the execution of 81 people in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. He said that we have seen this news.
The State Department spokesman added: “We continue to urge Saudi Arabia to ensure a fair trial and to refrain from extrajudicial detention and to maintain transparency, the rule of law and freedom of religion and belief.”
At the time, a reporter asked, “You do not want to mention the execution of 81 people in Saudi Arabia, and your only answer is this short statement that Ned Price refused to answer this question directly, saying that we have clearly expressed our concerns to the Saudi authorities.”
The State Department spokesman continued: “We have made it very clear to our counterparts in Riyadh that all governments, including our Saudi partners, respect and protect human rights and ensure a fair and transparent judicial process.”
A reporter asked a State Department spokesman if he had contacted US officials after the executions, to which Ned Price replied that it was not possible to talk about the timing, but that we had raised and would raise those concerns.
The State Department spokesman was repeatedly asked by reporters whether Washington had any direct contact with Saudi Arabia after the executions, and why he did not comment directly on the executions. Took.
Ned Price also claimed in response that we are in daily contact with them (Saudi Arabia) and they are well aware of the concerns.
The State Department spokesman’s stance comes as the Biden administration claims that human rights are at the forefront of its policies.
Saudi Arabia executed seven Yemeni nationals and a Syrian national, along with 73 other nationals, on charges of “having misconceptions, deviant beliefs, intelligence cooperation with ISIL, al-Qaeda and Ansar al-Yamin, and acting against public security and inciting riots and chaos.”
According to IRNA, quoting the official Saudi news agency (WAS), the Saudi Interior Ministry announced that the death sentence of these people, including 81 people, was carried out today (Saturday).
The Saudi Interior Ministry claimed in a statement that by joining criminal groups, these individuals deviated from the right path and took evil steps, selling themselves and their homeland in allegiance to foreigners, and serving the enemy’s plans for corruption and misguidance. They pledged allegiance to them.
Hours after the Saudi Interior Ministry announced the execution of 81 people in the country, the Saudi opposition media revealed that 41 of them were Shiites.
According to IRNA, the Naba satellite network reported that among those executed today were 41 Qatif Shiite youths in al-Ahsa province who had previously been arrested and imprisoned by the Saudi government under various pretexts.
Stating that the killing was carried out against young people who exercised their legitimate right to express their opinions, the network added that Muhammad bin Salman is a murderer who enjoys killing innocent people.
The network described the Saudi regime as a savage and murderous regime, saying that the killing was a practical sign that all Saudi claims of reform were mere propaganda.
The statement from the Saudi Interior Ministry added: “These individuals violated the sanctities of religion, targeted places of worship and a number of government buildings and vital places on which the country’s economy is based, and under the supervision of a number of officials and delegations and The security forces killed them and mutilated some of them.