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
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 PENALTY
UNITED 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 PENALTY
SAUDI 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, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI 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.
- FEBRUARY 16, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: SAUDI NATIONAL HANDED DEATH PENALTY FOR MURDER OF BANGLADESHI WOMAN
A criminal court in Riyadh on 14 February 2021 handed a Saudi national the death penalty for the murder of a Bangladeshi domestic worker.
FEBRUARY 13, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: EGYPTIAN ALI ABU AL-QASIM’S DEATH SENTENCE REDUCED TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON
Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Criminal Court sentenced on 11 February 2021 Egyptian engineer Ali Abul-Qasim to 25 years in prison after cancelling a death penalty over his conviction in a drug trafficking case.
FEBRUARY 8, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: THREE YOUTHS GET PRISON SENTENCE INSTEAD OF DEATH
Three young Saudi men who faced death sentences for acts they were accused of committing as minors have been handed a 10-year prison sentence instead, the Saudi Human Rights Commission said on 7 February 2021.