Saudi Arabia Executes 17 Individuals: 'This Year's Execution Figure Exceeds Expectations'
Saudi Arabia has witnessed a significant surge in executions this year, with at least 239 reported so far, putting it on track to surpass the 338 executions recorded in 2024, a 30-year high. This rise is primarily due to the kingdom's intensified "war on drugs" launched in 2023, with many drug trafficking convictions now resulting in executions, particularly for hashish smuggling.
Foreign nationals constitute a substantial portion of those executed. Approximately 136 of those executed in 2025 are foreigners, many from low-income backgrounds, and executed primarily for drug-related offenses. For instance, on a single day, Saudi Arabia executed eight men: four Somalis, three Ethiopians, and one Saudi citizen. Foreign nationals are disproportionately affected, representing around 75% of drug-related executions under Saudi legal standards that grant judges wide discretion.
The majority of the recent executions in Saudi Arabia involve foreign nationals, particularly those from sub-Saharan Africa or Pakistan. This trend contradicts earlier pledges by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to limit the use of the death penalty and has led to international condemnation.
Amnesty International's death penalty expert, Anne Denis, warns that this year's toll of executions will be horrifying. The organisation criticises the disproportionate sentencing and the use of capital punishment for non-lethal drug offenses.
The executions are typically carried out by beheading. Over half of the death sentences in Saudi Arabia this year are related to drug trafficking. The total number of executions in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of 2025 is 239, while the number of foreign nationals executed is higher than the number of Saudi nationals executed this year, with a total of 125 foreign nationals having been executed.
This year, the majority of executions in Saudi Arabia have been of foreign nationals. In fact, on a recent three-day span, Saudi Arabia executed 17 people, with 13 of them being foreign nationals. The global number of executions last year was the highest in a decade, with 1,518 prisoners executed worldwide.
This increase in executions in Saudi Arabia is a cause for concern and has sparked international criticism. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, are urging the kingdom to reconsider its approach to capital punishment and to work towards a more just and equitable legal system.
- The surge in executions in Saudi Arabia this year, primarily due to the kingdom's intensified "war on drugs", is largely composed of foreign nationals, with over half of the death sentences related to drug trafficking.
- The majority of the recent executions in Saudi Arabia have been of foreign nationals, both from sub-Saharan Africa and Pakistan, sparking international condemnation and concerns regarding the proportionate sentencing and use of capital punishment for non-lethal drug offenses.
