Rights groups are deeply concerned about the alarming surge in executions in Saudi Arabia, which has broken its own record for the second consecutive year. The country has executed at least 347 people this year, surpassing the 345 recorded in 2024, according to the UK-based campaign group Reprieve. This marks the bloodiest year of executions in the kingdom since monitoring began.
The latest victims include two Pakistani nationals convicted of drug-related offenses, a journalist, and two young men who were children at the time of their alleged protest-related crimes. Five of the executed individuals were women, and around two-thirds were convicted of non-lethal drug-related offenses, which the UN deems incompatible with international norms and standards.
The Saudi authorities have not responded to the BBC's request for comment on the rise in executions. Jeed Basyouni, Reprieve's head of death penalty for the Middle East and North Africa, expressed outrage, stating that Saudi Arabia is operating with impunity and making a mockery of the human rights system. She highlighted the prevalence of torture and forced confessions within the Saudi criminal justice system, describing it as a brutal and arbitrary crackdown that has affected innocent people and those on the margins of society.
One particularly disturbing case is that of Issam al-Shazly, a young Egyptian fisherman executed on Tuesday. He was arrested in Saudi territorial waters in 2021 and claimed he was coerced into smuggling drugs. Reprieve revealed that 96 of the executions were solely linked to hashish, indicating a harsh stance on drug-related offenses.
The surge in drug-related executions since late 2022, when the Saudi authorities ended an unofficial moratorium, has raised concerns. Relatives of men on death row for drugs charges have spoken of living in terror, with one stating that they only sleep on Fridays and Saturdays when there are no executions. Cellmates witness the devastating impact of these executions, seeing their fellow prisoners dragged kicking and screaming to their deaths.
The de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, has implemented significant changes in recent years, loosening social restrictions while silencing criticism. He has opened the country to the outside world, removed religious police, and allowed women to drive, all in an effort to diversify the economy away from oil. However, the kingdom's human rights record remains abysmal, with high-level executions being a major concern. According to Human Rights Watch, only China and Iran have executed more people in recent years.
Critics argue that there are no repercussions for Mohammed bin Salman and his authorities for carrying out these executions. The entertainment and sporting events continue without any apparent consequences. Reprieve reports that families of the executed are often not informed in advance, not given the bodies, or not told where they have been buried. The method of execution, believed to be beheading or firing squad, is also not disclosed by the Saudi authorities.
The UN's special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, Dr. Morris Tidball-Binz, called for an immediate moratorium on executions in Saudi Arabia with a view to abolition. He urged full compliance with international safeguards, prompt notification of families, the return of remains without delay, and the publication of comprehensive execution data for independent scrutiny.
Amnesty International highlighted the tragic cases of Abdullah al-Derazi and Jalal al-Labbad, both minors at the time of their arrest, who protested against the government's treatment of the Shia Muslim minority and were convicted of terrorism-related charges after unfair trials. The UN also condemned the execution of journalist Turki al-Jasser, who was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to death for terrorism and high treason based on alleged writings.
The UN expressed concern over a group of 32 Egyptians and one Jordanian national sentenced to death on drugs charges, noting their alleged lack of legal representation. A relative of one of the executed men described the harrowing experience of people being taken 'like goats' to be killed.
Despite these concerns, the Saudi authorities maintain that they protect and uphold human rights and that their laws prohibit and punish torture. They claim that the death penalty is imposed only for the most serious crimes and in extremely limited circumstances, and that it is not carried out until all judicial proceedings are completed.
