Advocacy Organizations Decry Unprecedented High in Death Sentences in the Kingdom
The Kingdom has exceeded its own annual record for the carrying out of death sentences for a second straight year.
At least 347 persons have been put to death so far this year, as reported by a UK-based advocacy organization that records such cases.
This figure exceeds the final count of 345 recorded in 2024, marking what the group calls the "deadliest year of executions in the kingdom since monitoring began."
The most recent cases carried out were two individuals from Pakistan sentenced on drug-related offences.
Breakdown of the Cases
Further cases this year include a media professional and two youths who were children at the time of their claimed offences linked to demonstrations.
Five were female. Yet, as stated by the monitoring group, the largest portionâaround two-thirdsâwere found guilty for not involving murder drug-related offences.
The United Nations have said that applying the death penalty for such violations is "violates international law and principles."
More than half of those put to death were foreign nationals, ensnared in what is described as a "crackdown on substances" within the kingdom.
"The authorities are acting with absolute immunity now," stated a official of the monitoring group. "It's almost flouting the human rights system."
The official further characterized extracted statements through mistreatment as "endemic" within the Saudi judicial process, calling it a "brutal and arbitrary crackdown."
Human Stories
Among those executed recently was a young Egyptian fisherman, arrested in 2021. He allegedly claimed he was forced into smuggling drugs.
Loved ones of men on death row for drug charges have spoken anonymously the "terror" they now live in.
"The single occasion of the week that I sleep is on the weekend because there are no executions on those days," a family member said.
Other prisoners have reportedly seen individuals they lived alongside for years being "led resisting violently to their death."
Wider Backdrop
The paramount authority of Saudi Arabia, whose rise began in 2017, has overseen major shifts in policy, relaxing some limitations while simultaneously silencing criticism.
Even as the country has opened up in a bid to broaden its financial base, its human rights record remains "poor" according to rights groups.
"There's been no cost for proceeding with these executions," noted a researcher focusing on the region. "Major events continue with minimal fallout."
Reports suggest families of the deceased are often given no prior notice, refused custody, and not informed about burial sites.
International Response
A UN special rapporteur has urged an immediate moratorium on executions in Saudi Arabia, pushing for eventual elimination.
The rapporteur also stressed the need for "complete obedience with international safeguards," including legal assistance and embassy contact for detainees from abroad.
Particular executions have drawn particular ire, including those of individuals who were juveniles at the time of their charged acts and a writer executed on terrorism and treason charges.
"Capital punishment against journalists is a chilling attack on freedom of expression," said a leading UNESCO figure.
In a official communication to UN concerns, Saudi authorities have stated that the country "safeguards human rights" and that its laws "ban and penalize torture."
The communication added that the capital punishment is imposed only for the "heinous violations" and after concluding all legal processes.
