Saudi Arabia beheaded seven people on Tuesday for "terrorism-related offences", the largest number of executions in a single day since the executions of 81 people in March 2022, as per Saudi state media.
Citing the interior ministry of the kingdom, the official Saudi Press Agency claimed that the seven had been found guilty of "creating and financing terrorist organisations and entities".
According to an AFP count of official pronouncements, Saudi Arabia, one of the world's most frequent uses of the death penalty, has killed 29 individuals so far this year after executing 170 in 2023.
About two years ago, Saudi Arabia caused international outrage when it carried out 81 executions in a single day.
The names and titles of the seven people who were executed on Tuesday suggested that they were Saudi nationals, though their confirmed nationalities were not disclosed.
According to the official news agency, they were found guilty of "adopting a terrorist approach that calls for bloodshed, establishing and financing terrorist organisations and entities, and communicating and dealing with them with the aim of disrupting the security and stability of society" as well as endangering homeland security.
The accusations made against them were not further detailed in the report.
According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia executed more individuals in 2022 than any other nation besides China and Iran.
Two soldiers guilty of treason and 33 people accused of acts related to terrorism were among those put to death last year.
In addition, December 2023 was the worst month with 38 executions.
The killings, according to Saudi authorities, are both appropriate and essential to "maintain public order".