IRNA – The execution of 37 people marks an alarming escalation in Saudi Arabia’s use of the death penalty 'to crush dissent from within the country’s Shi’a minority', said Amnesty International on Wednesday.

Among those put to death was a young man who was convicted of a crime that took place while he was under the age of 18, Amnesty International said in a statement.

“Today’s mass execution is a chilling demonstration of the Saudi Arabian authorities' callous disregard for human life. It is also yet another gruesome indication of how the death penalty is being used as a political tool to crush dissent from within the country’s Shi’a minority,” said Lynn Maalouf Middle East Research Director at Amnesty International.

'The majority of those executed were Shi’a men who were convicted after sham trials that violated international fair trial standards which relied on confessions extracted through torture.'

Amnesty International added that the families were not informed about the executions in advance and were shocked to learn of the news.

In 2019, at least 104 people have been executed by Saudi Arabia, 47 of whom were Shias, including Ayatollah Nimr al-Nimr.

Amnesty International had published its annual report about critical conditions of human rights in Saudi Arabia regarding the Shia minority, migrant workers, torture of the prisoners, and prohibition of civil activities.