Saudi Arabia has witnessed a dramatic surge in executions in recent years, with 2025 marking a particularly grim chapter. The kingdom has already executed over 180 people in the first half of the year, including more than 100 foreign nationals. This escalation follows a record 345 executions in 2024, the highest annual total in decades. The vast majority of these executions have been for drug-related offenses, many of which are non-lethal and internationally regarded as inappropriate for capital punishment. This analysis explores the alarming statistics, the nature of offenses, the disproportionate impact on foreign nationals, due process concerns, and the responses from various stakeholders.
Surge in Saudi Executions 2025
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior and official press agency data reveal that between January and June 2025, at least 180 people were executed, averaging one execution every two days. Of these, more than 100 were foreign nationals from countries including Egypt, Pakistan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Jordan, and Syria. This figure represents a continuation of a disturbing trend: in 2024, the kingdom executed 345 people, with 138 foreign nationals among them, a sharp increase from 38 foreign executions in 2023.
The executions in 2025 have been heavily skewed towards drug-related offenses. Approximately 59% of all executions this year were for drug crimes, including possession, trafficking, and distribution of narcotics such as hashish. This is consistent with data from the past decade, where nearly one-third of all executions were for drug-related offenses, and foreign nationals accounted for nearly 75% of those executed for drug crimes. In June 2025 alone, Saudi Arabia executed 46 people, including 37 for drug offenses, with 34 of those being foreign nationals.
The Nature of Offenses and Legal Context
Saudi Arabia applies capital punishment primarily under Sharia law, which traditionally permits the death penalty for serious crimes such as murder and terrorism. However, the kingdom’s use of the death penalty for non-lethal drug offenses starkly contradicts international human rights law, which restricts capital punishment to the “most serious crimes” — generally understood as intentional killing.
Many of the drug-related executions are based on ta’zir sentences, which are discretionary punishments handed down by judges and were supposed to be reformed following Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s 2021 pledge to improve judicial transparency and limit the death penalty to homicide cases. Yet, ta’zir rulings accounted for 64% of executions in 2025, indicating these reforms have not materialized.
Disproportionate Impact on Foreign Nationals
Foreign nationals have borne the brunt of Saudi Arabia’s execution surge. In 2025, 43% of those executed were non-Saudis, continuing a pattern of systemic discrimination. Many of these individuals were convicted without access to translators, legal counsel, or consular support, raising serious concerns about fair trial standards. Families often learn of executions only after they occur, and in many cases, the bodies of the executed are withheld, preventing proper mourning.
The foreign nationals executed are primarily migrant workers and individuals from poorer countries, making them particularly vulnerable. Pakistanis, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Somalis, Nigerians, Jordanians, and Syrians constitute the majority of those executed. The lack of adequate legal representation and consular assistance exacerbates the risk of wrongful convictions and unfair sentencing.
Due Process and Human Rights Violations
Numerous reports by human rights organizations highlight grave due process violations. Trials often rely on confessions obtained under torture or coercion, with defendants denied access to lawyers or translators. Amnesty International’s report underscores that many executions are carried out after “grossly unfair trials,” which demonstrates a “chilling disregard for human life” and violates international legal standards.
The United Nations Special Rapporteurs have criticized Saudi Arabia for applying the death penalty in ways incompatible with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. They note that executions often occur without prior notification to the prisoners, their families, or legal representatives.
Political and Sectarian Dimensions
Executions in Saudi Arabia also reflect political repression, particularly against the Shia minority, which constitutes about 10-12% of the population. Since 2014, 42% of executions for terrorism-related charges have involved Shia individuals, many convicted on the basis of torture-induced confessions. High-profile mass executions, such as the 2016 execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr and the 2019 mass execution of 37 prisoners (mostly Shia), highlight the kingdom’s use of capital punishment as a tool of political control and sectarian suppression.
Human Rights Groups Condemn Saudi Executions
Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Kristine Beckerle, stated:
“Saudi Arabia’s relentless and ruthless use of the death penalty after grossly unfair trials not only demonstrates a chilling disregard for human life; its application for drug-related offenses is also an egregious violation of international law and standards.”
She further emphasized,
“We are witnessing a truly horrifying trend, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty.”
Jeed Basyouni, head of the Middle East and North Africa program at the human rights group Reprieve, criticized the kingdom’s leadership:
“The billions spent on so-called reforms, designed to promote a more tolerant and inclusive kingdom under the crown prince’s rule, mask an authoritarian state where daily executions for drug crimes are now the norm.”
He added,
“He [Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman] could do mass pardons. He could insist on rewriting laws so that they are in line with international law.”
UN Special Rapporteurs have condemned the kingdom’s execution practices, highlighting violations of international treaties and the lack of transparency and notification in carrying out death sentences. They stressed that drug offenses do not meet the threshold of “most serious crimes” warranting capital punishment under international law.
The Saudi government maintains that executions are conducted in accordance with Sharia law and are reserved for the most serious crimes. However, the sharp increase in executions for non-lethal drug offenses contradicts earlier statements by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who pledged to limit the death penalty to homicide cases.
Families of executed individuals report profound distress caused by the lack of information, denial of legal support, and withholding of bodies. Consular officials from affected countries, such as Pakistan and Egypt, have raised concerns about their citizens’ access to fair trials and legal representation.
Broader Implications and International Response
Saudi Arabia’s execution surge has sparked widespread international condemnation. Human rights groups argue that the kingdom’s use of the death penalty, especially against vulnerable foreign nationals, violates fundamental human rights and undermines global efforts to restrict capital punishment.
The international community faces a diplomatic dilemma: balancing strategic and economic ties with Saudi Arabia against the imperative to uphold human rights standards. Despite repeated calls for reform, the kingdom’s execution practices continue unabated, signaling a prioritization of internal control and deterrence over international legal norms.
Saudi Arabia’s execution crisis in 2025 represents a severe regression in human rights and judicial fairness. The kingdom’s unprecedented use of the death penalty, particularly against foreign nationals and for non-lethal drug offenses, contravenes international law and exposes systemic flaws in due process. Despite promises of reform, executions continue at a record pace, with political and sectarian factors further complicating the landscape.
As Amnesty International’s Kristine Beckerle aptly summarized,
“Saudi Arabia’s relentless and ruthless use of the death penalty after grossly unfair trials not only demonstrates a chilling disregard for human life.”
The international community must intensify pressure on Riyadh to end these practices, ensure fair trials, and abolish the death penalty for non-lethal offenses, safeguarding the rights and lives of all individuals within its jurisdiction.
