Executions carried out in the past sparked protests like this one three years ago.
Saudi Arabia reported the execution of 81 men on Saturday, a higher number than last year’s total.
The group, which includes 7 Yemenis and a Syrian citizen, was convicted of “multiple heinous crimes”, including terrorism, the state news agency SPA reported.
Some were accused of belonging to the Islamic State (IS) group, al-Qaeda or the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia has been heavily criticized for its restrictive laws on political and religious expression, and implementation of the death penalty, even when the defendants are arrested as minors.
Saudi Arabia denies the accusations of human rights abuses and defends that it protects its national security in accordance with its laws.
Human rights organizations warn that many defendants do not receive fair trials in Saudi Arabia, a charge the government denies.
According to the SPA, the last group was tried by 13 judges and underwent a three-stage judicial process.
Saudi Arabia executed 184 people in 2019, and 149 in 2018, according to Amnesty International.
The individuals were accused of planning attacks once morest vital economic targets, killing or attacking members of the security forces, kidnapping, torturing, raping, and smuggling weapons into the country.
“These people… were convicted of various crimes, including the murder of innocent men, women and children,” the SPA said, citing an Interior Ministry statement.
“Crimes committed by these individuals also include swearing allegiance to foreign terrorist organizations, including Islamic State, al-Qaeda and the Houthis,” it added.
Some traveled to conflict zones to join “terrorist organisations”, SPA said.
The number of executions performed on Saturday eclipsed 69 reported executions in the kingdom in all of 2021 and 27 in 2020.
Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world – fifth on a list compiled by Amnesty International. The other four are China, Iran, Egypt and Iraq.
