Rights Groups Denounce Unprecedented High in Executions in the Kingdom
The Kingdom has exceeded its prior execution tally for the carrying out of death sentences for a second straight year.
A minimum of 347 individuals have been executed so far this year, per data from a British advocacy organization that monitors such sentences.
This figure is higher than the number of 345 documented in 2024, making it what the group calls the "most lethal year of executions in the kingdom since records started."
The most recent cases carried out included two individuals from Pakistan sentenced on drug-related offences.
Details on the Cases
Others put to death include a journalist and two youths who were underage at the time of their reported acts connected to dissent.
Five were female. However, per the monitoring group, the vast bulk—around two-thirds—were sentenced for not involving murder drug-related offences.
Global organizations have declared that applying the capital punishment for such crimes is "incompatible with international human rights standards."
A majority of those subjected to capital punishment were non-Saudi citizens, ensnared in what has been labeled a "campaign against narcotics" within the kingdom.
"The kingdom is functioning with absolute immunity now," remarked a representative of the campaign. "It's almost ridiculing the global justice mechanism."
The advocate further characterized coerced admissions and abuse as "endemic" within the Saudi judicial process, calling it a "harsh and indiscriminate campaign."
Personal Accounts
Among those executed recently was a young national of Egypt, taken into custody in 2021. He reportedly claimed he was coerced into trafficking narcotics.
Relatives of men on awaiting execution for drug charges have given accounts privately the "terror" they now live in.
"The single occasion of the week that I find peace is on Friday and Saturday because there are a halt in proceedings on those days," one relative stated.
Fellow inmates have reportedly seen individuals they lived alongside for years being "led kicking and screaming to their death."
Broader Context
The effective leader of Saudi Arabia, who became crown prince in 2017, has led significant societal reforms, loosening some rules while simultaneously cracking down on dissent.
Even as the country has welcomed foreign engagement in a bid to move away from oil dependency, its human rights record remains "poor" according to rights groups.
"There's been no cost for going ahead with these executions," said a researcher focusing on the region. "International gatherings continue with minimal fallout."
Allegations suggest families of the executed are usually given no prior notice, denied the bodies, and left unaware of where they are interred.
Global Condemnation
A United Nations expert has called for an prompt suspension on executions in Saudi Arabia, advocating for eventual abolition.
The expert also stressed the need for "complete obedience with international protections," including access to lawyers and consular access for foreign nationals.
Notable instances have drawn focused criticism, including those of individuals who were under the age of majority at the time of their reported offences and a writer executed on terrorism and treason charges.
"Capital punishment against media workers is a deeply concerning assault on free speech," declared a international agency head.
In a official communication to UN concerns, Saudi authorities have maintained that the country "safeguards human rights" and that its laws "ban and penalize torture."
The communication added that the death penalty is used exclusively for the "gravest offences" and after concluding all court appeals.
