Saudi Arabia closes 2023 with 170 executions after four murderers were put to death on New Year's Eve

Saudi Arabia executed 170 people in 2023, including four on New Year's Eve, according to an AFP tally based on announcements by Saudi authorities.

The four people executed on Sunday, December 31, had been convicted of murder, the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing statements from the interior ministry.

They included two in the north-western city of Tabuk, one in the capital Riyadh, and one in Jazan in the south-west.

Those executed throughout 2023 included 33 people accused of terrorism-related crimes and two soldiers convicted of treason.

There were 38 executions in December, the deadliest month.

A total of 147 convicts were executed in 2022, while a record of 187 executions took place in the kingdom in 2019.

In 2022, Saudi Arabia executed more people than any other country besides China and Iran, Amnesty International has said.