Saudi Arabia
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- absolute monarchy
- CONSTITUTION
- Sharia applies; a fundamental law establishing the rights and responsibilities of the government was introduced in 1992
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- based on Sharia law but some secular norms have been introduced
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- Advisory Council, appointed by the king for 4 years
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Supreme Council of Justice
RELIGIONS
100% Muslims
From the country
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: EGYPTIAN EXECUTED FOR KILLING WOMAN, BURNING HER BODY
An Egyptian man was executed on 15 September 2021 in Saudi Arabia for killing a woman and burning her body in Medina.
- SEPTEMBER 8, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: SAUDI MAN EXECUTED OVER TERRORISM CHARGES
A Saudi man was executed in Dammam on 6 September 2021 on charges of terrorism and weapons smuggling, the interior ministry said.
JULY 6, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYUS INSTITUTE REPORTS FORMER SAUDI COMMANDER IN YEMEN SENTENCED TO DEATH
Saudi Arabia's former commander in charge of the coalition war in Yemen has been sentenced to death following a military trial, according to a 27 June 2021 report by the Washington DC-based Institute for Gulf Affairs.
JUNE 17, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: YOUNG MAN ACCUSED OF PARTICIPATING IN REBELLION EXECUTED
Saudi Arabia on 15 June 2021 executed a young man who was convicted on charges stemming from his alleged participation in an anti-government rebellion by minority Shiites.
JUNE 8, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYUNITED KINGDOM: FOREIGN SECRETARY URGED TO INTERVENE IN SAUDI ARABIA DEATH PENALTY CASES
The relatives of two men awaiting execution in Saudi Arabia on 7 June 2021 asked British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to press for their release while he visits the kingdom.
MAY 31, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: FATHER PARDONS SON’S KILLER MINUTES BEFORE EXECUTION
A convicted killer was “pardoned” by the Saudi father of his victim on 24 May 2021 morning, minutes before he was due to be executed.
MAY 26, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY FOR ‘DAMMAM KIDNAPPER’
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court on 24 May 2021 upheld the verdict issued by a criminal court in Dammam in September 2020, awarding the death penalty to a Saudi woman known in the media as the “Dammam kidnapper,” and jail terms for three other defendants, loc
MAY 11, 2021PakistanDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA TO RELEASE 1,100 PAKISTANI PRISONERS
Pakistan on 10 May 2021 said that 1,100 of its nationals imprisoned in Saudi Arabia will return to the country soon after agreements were reached with Riyadh on the release of inmates.
APRIL 12, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: 80% OF PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH AS MINORS STILL FACE EXECUTION
Anti-death penalty group Reprieve said on 9 April 2021 that 80% of those sentenced to death for crimes in Saudi Arabia while minors still face execution despite reforms announced in 2020.
- APRIL 12, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: 3 SOLDIERS EXECUTED FOR 'HIGH TREASON’
Saudi Arabia executed three soldiers on 10 April 2021 it accused of committing “high treason,” without elaborating on which enemy the kingdom believed the men aided.
- MARCH 30, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: SAUDI CITIZEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING BANGLADESHI
A court in Saudi Arabia on 24 March 2021 sentenced Umar al-Shammeri, a Saudi Arabian citizen, to death for killing Bangladeshi immigrant Sagar Patwari in Dammam of the country 15 years ago.
- MARCH 11, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: 5 DAESH MEMBERS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR ASSASSINATING OFFICER, BLOWING UP MOSQUES
A preliminary death sentence was issued on 11 March 2021 in Saudi Arabia against five members of a cell affiliated with the terrorist group Daesh.