JEDDAH: Former judges and Saudi lawyers refuted allegations of Amnesty International in its recent report on the Saudi judicial system which claims that rulings and judgments represent “killing in the name of justice.”

Amnesty claimed that Saudi Arabia is among countries that carry out the largest number of executions in the world.

Refuting the allegations, Fadel bin Shaman, a former judge, was quoted as saying to a local newspaper that this hideous campaign against the Saudi judicial system cannot be separated from other hideous campaigns against Islam all over the world “because Saudi Arabia is the only remaining Islamic country that implements Islamic Sharia in its prevailing judicial system.”

He said that Amnesty did not refer in its report to other countries that apply Western penalties, mainly Third World countries which stipulate the death penalty for simple and basic reasons, with their prisons filled with thousands of oppressed people, prisoners of conscience, political opponents, and killing under the guise of state security.

Shaman said the criminal system of Saudi Arabia “is one of the most fair and just criminal systems in the world,” noting that the figures stated in the report on executions are incorrect.

“An execution sentence is implemented only after the case is thoroughly reviewed in the Court of First Instance, consisting of three judges; then the case proceeds to the Appeal Court, consisting of five judges; then to the Supreme Court consisting of five judges. Thus the number of judges handling such cases is not less than 13 specialist judges,” he explained.