Saudi Arabia has carried out a record number of executions this year even as the UN gets set to vote on whether to grant the Kingdom a seat on the Human Rights council.
At least 208 people have been put to death in the Middle Eastern nation so far this year, outstripping the most recent high of 196 in 2022 with almost three months still remaining on the calendar.
The shocking figure, which rights groups claim is still underreported, puts the Arab Gulf state firmly in the top five nations where the death penalty is most frequently used, despite Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) pledging to reduce the rate of executions.
Since taking on the role of Crown Prince in 2015, MBS has overseen at least 1,447 executions and, despite a mortarium on the use of the death penalty for minor offences in 2020, the instances of capital punishment reached a monthly record high of 41 in August and 32 last month.
The harrowing figures comes as the UN gets ready to vote in two day on whether the…