BEIRUT: Saudi Arabia plans to execute 14 citizens, all Shia, after a “grossly unfair trial” linked to political protests, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.
Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, which has one of the highest rates of executions in the world, has witnessed protests and clashes with police in its mainly Shia eastern province since 2011.
Court documents obtained by the two human rights groups showed that a total of 38 defendants, including the 14 sentenced to death, were convicted of charges linked to demonstrations in the eastern province 2011 and 2012.