ALQST for Human Rights is pleased to announce that it has become an official member of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP), giving an important boost to efforts to combat the escalating use of capital punishment in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s most prolific executing countries.
The death penalty is the ultimate cruel punishment and ALQST opposes it in all circumstances, sharing WCADP’s aim of universal abolition. The fight against it is particularly urgent in countries like Saudi Arabia where judicial proceedings notoriously show little regard for legal safeguards, the authorities are shielded from any public scrutiny, and the death penalty is used as a political weapon to silence dissent.
ALQST, founded in 2014 by Saudi human rights defender Yahya Assiri, works tirelessly against the death penalty in Saudi Arabia by monitoring death sentences and executions, following relevant legal developments, and engaging with affected individuals and their families to obtain international support.
Membership of WCADP will allow us to strengthen and form new partnerships with powerful allies in this international network of more than 190 NGOs, bar associations, local authorities and unions. Established in 2002, WCADP provides vital support to its member organisations, and coordinates international advocacy in the global fight against the death penalty. In some countries, its immediate aim is to obtain a reduction in death sentences and executions as a first step towards abolition, but the ultimate goal is always a definitive end to the death penalty.
Such work is needed in Saudi Arabia now more than ever, given the horrifying scale of executions in the country. 2024 saw an all-time record number of known executions in a single year, with at least 345 recorded. Hundreds more convicted prisoners remain at risk of execution, including many sentenced for non-violent drug-related offences or on vague terrorism charges, and including countless foreign nationals as well as child defendants.
The fight against the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, built around the brave efforts of Saudi activists and family members, has achieved some notable successes along the way, including the commuting of a number of death sentences and the announcement of reforms, albeit never fully implemented. These small but significant achievements nevertheless attest to the importance of human rights work and the power of collaborative advocacy through networks like WCADP.
