The European Union condemned the execution of 81 people by Saudi Arabia on 12 March 2022. In the statement, the High Representative of the European Union noted that this mass executions is the largest application of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia since 2019 and represent a worrying increase in the trends in the execution of the death penalty, with 67 people executed in 2021.
The European Union indicated that it strongly opposes, in principle, the death penalty in all circumstances, and clarified that it is a cruel and inhuman punishment, and does not act as a deterrent to crime in the remaining few countries that still apply it.
The statement indicated grave concern about the continued use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia and called on the government to stop it, as a first step towards its official and complete abolition.
The European Union constantly criticizes Saudi Arabia’s violations, especially with regard to the death penalty, and the European Parliament issued a resolution condemning Saudi violations after the execution of the minor Mustafa Al-Darwish in June 2021.