Iran: president condemns Western silence on Saudi executions

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has condemned what he described as the “West’s silence” over Saudi Arabia’s execution of 81 people, Tasnim News Agency has reported.

“The application of double standards by the Western countries and the instrumental use of the concept of human rights, as well as the silence and inaction of self-proclaimed human rights advocates towards the death penalty for innocent people, are condemned,” said Raisi.

He added that this reflects the West’s hypocrisy as it exploits the concept of human rights to achieve its own political ambitions, often against independent governments. The Iranian leader called on international organisations, free media and relevant institutions to break their silence.

The Saudi Interior Ministry announced on Saturday the execution of 81 people. The ministry said that those executed belonged to Daesh, Al-Qaeda and Yemen’s Houthi rebels who had the blood of innocent people on their hands.

According to reports, 41 of the executed people were Shia Muslims from the Qatif region in the east of the Kingdom. Seven Yemenis belonging to the pro-Iran Houthi group were also among those killed.

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