70 people have been executed this year with many more expected to be killed

'It is a bloody day when the Saudi Arabian authorities execute 47 people, some of whom were clearly sentenced to death after grossly unfair trials.'

In 2015, Saudi Arabia's execution rate was the highest it has been in the past twenty years. Unfortunately, in only the last three months, it executed 70 people -nearly half the number of last year's total executions.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Saudi Arabia launched several protests and calls for investigations when the country executed 47 people for "terrorism offences" in a single day.

Allan Hogarth, the UK's Head of Policy and Government Affairs told The Independent: "The death is always cruel and unnecessary, but the Saudi justice system lacks evens [sic] the basics of a fair trial system and it's truly frightening that its courts are sentencing so many people to death.

"With death sentences imposed after deeply unfair - and sometimes secret - proceedings,  with defendants often denied a lawyer, and with courts regularly convicting people on the basis of 'confessions' extracted under torture, Saudi Arabia is making a mockery of justice and dozens of people are paying with their lives."

Hogarth continued, calling "strategic allies," such as the UK, to start talking about the issue at hand. He dramatically called Downing Street out for bending "over backwards to avoid 'offending' the Saudi royals."

He added that Saudi Arabia is not known for its human rights and someone stronger, such as the UK government, should speak up.

According to MiddleEastEye, Philip Luther, the International Middle East director of Amnesty International, released a statement, in which he said, "It is a blood day when the Saudi Arabian authorities execute 47 people, some of whom were clearly sentenced to death after grossly unfair trials."

Think Progress reported Saudi Arabia has been known to execute children as young as 13-years-old, as well as the mentally ill.

Critics have been taking aim at the country since its economy tanked from the oil price crash, which left Saudi Arabia unable to pay foreign workers.

Reuters reported: "Foreign governments are pressing authorities and executives in Saudi Arabia to ensure that local construction firms make delayed salary payments to thousands of workers, a sign of pressure on the kingdom's economy due to low oil prices."

Meanwhile, on Friday, President François Hollande awarded France's most prestigious award to Saudi's heir, Prince Mohammed bin Naif, for his "great efforts in the region and world for combating [sic] extremism and terrorism."

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