Saudi executions near 100 in 2026, Amnesty calls for halt

Rights group says 61 people were executed for drug-related offences this year.

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has carried out nearly 100 executions so far this year, Amnesty International said, urging the Kingdom to immediately halt executions as a first step towards abolishing the death penalty.

The rights organisation said Saudi authorities executed 96 people between January 1 and June 22, including 61 for drug-related offences. Among them were 39 foreign nationals and 22 Saudi citizens.

Amnesty raises concerns

Dana Ahmed, Middle East Researcher at Amnesty International, described the execution tally as a “grim milestone”, saying Saudi Arabia continues to use the death penalty for drug-related offences despite international standards limiting capital punishment to the “most serious crimes”.

She said governments around the world are increasingly adopting evidence-based approaches to drug policy, while Saudi Arabia continues to carry out executions for offences that should not be punishable by death under international law.

Amnesty also warned that at least 63 Ethiopian nationals held at Khamis Mushait detention facility in south-west Saudi Arabia could be at imminent risk of execution on drug-related charges. It said concerns intensified after seven Ethiopian nationals were executed earlier this year following convictions for smuggling hashish.

The organisation said foreign nationals have been disproportionately affected by executions for drug-related offences in Saudi Arabia, often following trials it described as grossly unfair.

Executions continue to rise

Saudi Arabia has carried out more than 1,000 executions since King Salman bin Abdulaziz came to power in 2015, according to reports. The increase has been driven largely by terrorism-related convictions and the resumption of executions for drug offences.

The Kingdom executed 196 people in 2022, including 81 in a single day, the largest mass execution in its modern history. The annual figure rose to at least 303 in 2024, up from 170 in 2023. An AFP tally of official figures showed that 117 of those executed in 2024 had been convicted of drug trafficking.

Human Rights Watch said Saudi Arabia carried out at least 356 executions in 2025, the highest annual total recorded since monitoring began.

Saudi position

Human rights groups say the continued rise in executions undermines Saudi Arabia’s efforts to advance social and economic reforms under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 programme.

Saudi authorities have defended the death penalty, saying it is necessary to maintain public order and is permitted under Sharia law.