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
- APRIL 21, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Myan Gul Jan Khan, a Pakistani sentenced to death for...
Myan Gul Jan Khan, a Pakistani sentenced to death for drug trafficking, was publicly executed in a square in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, declared the Saudi Interior Ministry
- APRIL 13, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Salem Hussein Hasan al-Salami, an Iraqi convicted of...
Salem Hussein Hasan al-Salami, an Iraqi convicted of smuggling hashish, was publicly beheaded by sword in the northern Saudi city of Arar
- MARCH 29, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
A Saudi man was beheaded after he was convicted of...
A Saudi man was beheaded after he was convicted of murdering a compatriot, the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement
- MARCH 1, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
James Sampson, father of William Sampson, a Canadian...
James Sampson, father of William Sampson, a Canadian facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia arrived in the kingdom to meet his son
- FEBRUARY 19, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Women confront death with "nerves of steel" while men...
Women confront death with "nerves of steel" while men often collapse with fear, Saudi Arabia's most senior executioner was reported as saying
- FEBRUARY 3, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabia reportedly sentenced a Yemeni national...
Saudi Arabia reportedly sentenced a Yemeni national to death for insulting the religion of his roommate
- JANUARY 30, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
In a resolution the European Parliament called for...
In a resolution the European Parliament called for the United States, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Congo and others to introduce a moratorium on executions "with a view to completely abolishing the death penalty
- JANUARY 21, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
The Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines...
The Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines stated that there were nineteen Filipino nationals awaiting execution in Saudi Arabian prisons
- JANUARY 8, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saud bin Jebran bin Qalet al-Shahrani, convicted of...
Saud bin Jebran bin Qalet al-Shahrani, convicted of murdering his wife and mother-in-law was beheaded by sword in the southwestern province of Assir
- JANUARY 8, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
The executive committee of the Spanish Federation of...
The executive committee of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities (Federación Española de Entidades Religiosas Islámicas - FEERI) formally requested Saudi Arabia to abolish death-by-stoning
- JANUARY 1, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islamic...
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law
- JANUARY 1, 2003Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Many of the announced Saudi executions are for murder...
Many of the announced Saudi executions are for murder and rape, but a wide range of violent and non-violent crimes are also punished by decapitation, including: armed robbery; drug-trafficking; witchcraft; adultery; sodomy; same-sex relations; highway r