Amnesty says that while numbers dropped due to pandemic, figures for Iran, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia show region is 'truly out of sync with the rest of the world'

Killings come as a Saudi-led military campaign intensifies in neighboring Yemen

Kingdom's Human Rights Commission says 27 sentenced to death last year, a decrease of 85% over 2019; drop partially due to moratorium on death penalty for drug offenses

Kingdom denies rights group's claim it is seeking to execute a number of young men for protest-related crimes allegedly committed when they were juveniles

Royal decree comes a day after order to end flogging; at least 6 people are on death row for crimes allegedly committed before they turned 18

Latest modernizing move by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman comes as state continues to crush any dissent against the regime

According to CNN, many of the condemned told courts their testimonies were coerced or falsified; US panel on religious freedom urges State Department to punish Riyadh

Rights groups rail at Riyadh for putting to death 37 of its nationals after trials 'devoid of any due process'; Iran blasts US for lack of response to measure

34 of those killed identified as minority Shiites in executions likely to stoke further regional and sectarian tensions; NGO says they were convicted after 'sham trials'