Saudi Arabia executes a US national who was convicted of torturing and killing his Egyptian father

On Wednesday (August 16), Saudi Arabia carried out the execution of a US national who had been convicted of torturing and murdering his Egyptian father, according to reports from state media. This recent execution brings the total number of foreign nationals sentenced to death in the country this year to 19.

According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the execution of Bishoy Sharif Naji Naseef took place in the Riyadh region. Court documents cited by SPA indicated that the court had determined Naseef to be guilty of physically assaulting and strangling his father, causing his death. The documents also stated that Naseef had used drugs and had made attempts to kill another individual.

Although the specific method of execution was not mentioned in the Gulf kingdom’s reports, it’s worth noting that Saudi Arabia has typically carried out capital punishments through beheading.

State Department spokesman Vedant Patel stated, “We are aware of those reports and are monitoring the situation but don’t have any specifics.” He mentioned that a United States consular official had last visited Naseef in July.

Saudi Arabia has frequently faced criticism for its extensive use of the death penalty. In 2021, the country ranked as the world’s third most prolific executor, as per Amnesty International. Since King Salman assumed power in 2015, over 1,000 death sentences have been recorded in Saudi Arabia, according to a report earlier this year by the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights and the UK-based group Reprieve.

This year alone, nearly 91 people, including 19 foreigners, have been executed, as per a tally by AFP news agency based on state media accounts. The reported total of executions in 2022 was twice the number reported in 2021, rising from 69 to 147.

In 2022, executions for drug-related offenses were resumed after a suspension that had lasted for nearly three years. Furthermore, in a particularly notable episode in the same year, Saudi Arabia drew global attention and criticism when 81 people were executed in a single day for offenses related to terrorism in the Gulf Kingdom.