Saudi sentences three to death over terrorism charges

The Special Criminal Court in Riyadh yesterday sentenced three Saudis to death and 20 others to prison terms ranging from five to 25 years over charges of joining an Al-Qaeda terrorist cell in the kingdom, the Anadolu news agency reported.

The same court also sentenced four Saudis to death and 16 others to prison terms ranging from 16 to 23 years.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said that the total number of death sentences handed down in this case has risen to seven. There are 94 defendants in this case.

The defendants were convicted of “joining an Al-Qaeda linked terrorist cell inside the kingdom, embracing Takfiri thinking and the kidnapping, torturing and murdering a Kingdom resident as well as resisting arrest and shooting at security men during a raid on the cell’s site.”

SPA said one of the defendants was sentenced in absentia.

The defendants have 30 days to appeal.

In 2011, Saudi courts began trying nationals and foreigners on charges of terrorism after the kingdom witnessed a wave of bombings.

Human rights groups accuse the Saudi authorities of exploiting its crackdown on terrorist groups to arrest political activists who demand reform, a charge denied by the authorities.

In February, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz issued a royal decree calling for all those who join fighting cells abroad or who belong to extremist religious or intellectual groups to be imprisoned for a period ranging from three to 20 years. The punishment would be more severe if the perpetrator was engaged in military activities.