Naming those executed on New Year's Day

Naming those executed on New Year's Day
Blog: Saudi Arabia's executions included political activists and al-Qaeda members alike. These are their names.
3 min read
05 Jan, 2016
Political activists were among those executed by Saudi Arabia on Saturday [Getty]
The recent executions in Saudi Arabia received a broadside of condemnation from human rights groups, who noted that some of the 47 killed on Saturday were political activists whose trails were grossly unfair.

Although most of the executed were thought to have been involved in a series of attacks carried out by al-Qaeda, it was the death of pro-democracy activist and prominent cleric Nimr al-Nimr that hit the headlines. 

Nimr was charged with pursuing "foreign meddling" in Saudi Arabia, "disobeying" its rulers, inciting sectarian strife and leading demonstrations. 

Amnesty International called the charges "a campaign by the authorities in Saudi Arabia to crush all dissent".

Also among the executed was Mohammad Faisal al-Shioukh, arrested by Saudi police in 2012, when he was aged 19.

Shioukh was charged with chanting slogans against the Saudi regime, burning tires and daubing anti-government graffiti on walls.

Ali Saeed al-Rebh was also killed on Saturday, charged with vandalism, using his mobile phone to organise demonstrations and attending an address by Nimr al-Nimr.

Rebh was 22 when he was executed. 

Human rights organisation Reprieve voiced fresh concerns over other prisoners currently at risk of execution in Saudi Arabia for their activism.

But Saudi Arabia asserts that all 47 executed on Saturday were "terrorists". And it is likely that many were indeed al-Qaeda members or supporters.

The death penalty is the only punishment available for those who "seek to harm the unity of the country through corruption", said Khalid al-Yousef, president of the Court of Grievances. 

The names of all 47 prisoners executed on Saturday have now released by Saudi's Ministry of Interior.

1. Nimr Baqer Ameen al-Nimr 
2. Mohammed bin Faisal bin Mohammed al-Shioukh 
3. Ali Saeed Abdullah al-Ribeh 
4. Bandar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Ghaith
5. Hassan Hadi bin Shuja'a al-Masareer
6. Hamad bin Abdullah bin Ibrahim al-Humaidi
7. Khalid Mohammed Ibrahim al-Jarallah
8. Ridha Abdulrahman Khalil al-Najjar
9. Saad Salamah Hameer
10. Salah bin Saeed bin Abdulraheem al-Najjar
11. Salah bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed al-Hussain
12. Saleh bin Abdulrahman bin Ibrahim al-Shamsan
13. Saleh bin Ali bin Saleh al-Juma'ah
14. Adel bin Saad bin Jaza' al-Dhubaiti
15. Adel Mohammed Salem Abdullah Yamani
16. Abduljabbar bin Homood bin Abdulaziz al-Tuwaijri
17. Abdulrahman Dhakheel Faleh al-Faleh
18. Abdullah Sayer Moawadh Massad al-Mohammadi
19. Abdullah bin Saad bin Mozher Shareef
20. Abdullah Saleh Abdulaziz al-Ansari
21. Abdullah Abdulaziz Ahmed al-Muqrin
22. Abdullah Musalem Hameed al-Raheef
23. Abdullah bin Mua'ala bin A'li
24. Abdulaziz Rasheed bin Hamdan al-Toaili'e
25. Abdulmohsen Hamad bin Abdullah al-Yahya
26. Isam Khalaf Mohammed al-Mothri'e
27. Badr bin Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Badr
28. Ghazi Mohaisen Rashed
29. Faris Ahmed Jama'an al-Showail
30. Fikri Ali bin Yahya Faqih
31. Fahd bin Ahmed bin Hanash al-Zamel
32. Fahd Abdulrahman Ahmed al-Buraidi
33. Fahd Ali Ayedh al-Jubran
34. Majed Ibrahim Ali al-Mughainem
35. Majed Moeedh Rashed
36. Mishaal bin Homood bin Juwair al-Farraj
37. Mohammed Abdulaziz Mohammed al-Muharib
38. Mohammed Ali Abdulkarim Suwaymil
39. Mohammed Fathi Abula'ti al-Sayed
40. Anwar Abdulrahman Khalil al-Najjar
41. Mostafa Mohammed Altaher Abkar
42. Moaidh Mufreh Ali al-Shokr
43. Nasser Ali Ayedh al-Jubran
44. Naif Saad Abdullah al-Buraidi
45. Najeeb bin abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Bohaiji
46. Ameen Mohammed Abdullah al-Aqala 
47. Nimr Sehaj Zeid al-Kraizi