DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has executed 48 people in the past four months, half onnon-violent drug charges, Human Rights Watch said, urging the kingdom toimprove its ‘notoriously unfair’ criminal justice system.“Saudi Arabia has executed 48 people since the beginning of 2018,” theUS-based rights group said in a report published late Wednesday.

“Many more people convicted of drug crimes remain on death row followingconvictions by Saudi Arabia’s notoriously unfair criminal justice system.”

The ultra-conservative kingdom has one of the world’s highest rates ofexecution, with suspects convicted of terrorism, homicide, rape, armedrobbery and drug trafficking facing the death penalty.

Rights experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the fairness of trialsin the kingdom, governed under a strict form of Islamic law. The governmentsays the death penalty is a deterrent for further crime.

“It’s bad enough that Saudi Arabia executes so many people, but many ofthem have not committed a violent crime,” said HRW’s Middle East directorSarah.

“Any plan to limit drug executions needs to include improvements to ajustice system that doesn’t provide for fair trials.”

HRW says Saudi Arabia has carried out nearly 600 executions since thebeginning of 2014, more than a third of them in drug cases.

Last year, nearly 150 people were put to death in the kingdom, whereconvicts are beheaded using a sword.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, next in line to the throne, this monthsuggested the kingdom would consider changing the penalty from death tolife in certain cases except murder in an interview with *Time Magazine*.

The powerful prince is spearheading a drive to soften the kingdom’s imageas it looks to diversify its oil-dependent economy and attractinternational investors. – APP/AFP