Advocacy Organizations Condemn Historic Peak in Capital Punishment in the Kingdom

The nation has exceeded its own annual record for the use of capital punishment for a second straight year.

At least 347 individuals have been executed so far this year, per data from a British campaign group that records such cases.

This figure exceeds the number of 345 documented in 2024, marking what the group calls the "deadliest year of executions in the kingdom since records started."

The most recent individuals to be executed were two Pakistani nationals found guilty on illegal substance violations.

Details on the Cases

Additional individuals executed include a reporter and two youths who were underage at the time of their alleged protest-related crimes.

A total of five were female. However, per the monitoring group, the vast bulk—around two-thirds—were convicted for not involving murder substance violations.

The United Nations have declared that applying the ultimate sentence for such violations is "incompatible with international human rights standards."

A majority of those subjected to capital punishment were non-Saudi citizens, implicated in what appears to be a "crackdown on substances" within the kingdom.

"The authorities are acting with total disregard now," said a official of the rights organization. "It's almost making a mockery of the global justice mechanism."

The official further described coerced admissions and abuse as "widespread" within the Saudi judicial process, calling it a "brutal and arbitrary crackdown."

Human Stories

Among those subjected to capital punishment was a young fisherman from Egypt, detained in 2021. He reportedly claimed he was pressured into carrying illegal substances.

Loved ones of men on facing capital sentences for drug charges have given accounts privately the "dread" they now live in.

"The single occasion of the week that I find peace is on those two days because there are no death sentences carried out on those days," one relative stated.

Fellow inmates have reportedly observed individuals they lived alongside for years being "dragged resisting violently to their death."

Wider Backdrop

The paramount authority of Saudi Arabia, who assumed power in 2017, has overseen significant societal reforms, easing some rules while at the same time cracking down on dissent.

Even as the country has become more accessible in a bid to diversify its economy, its human rights record remains "abysmal" according to global watchdogs.

"There have been no consequences for proceeding with these executions," commented a expert focusing on the region. "Major events continue with no repercussions."

Allegations suggest families of the executed are usually left in the dark, not given the remains, and not informed about burial sites.

International Response

A UN special rapporteur has urged an immediate moratorium on executions in Saudi Arabia, with the aim of eventual abolition.

The rapporteur also stressed the need for "full compliance with international safeguards," including access to lawyers and diplomatic support for non-citizens.

Particular executions have drawn special condemnation, including those of individuals who were juveniles at the time of their alleged crimes and a writer executed on claims of disloyalty.

"The death penalty against media workers is a frightening blow on press freedom," said a leading UNESCO figure.

In a written response to raised allegations, Saudi authorities have maintained that the country "protects and upholds human rights" and that its laws "ban and penalize torture."

The letter continued that the capital punishment is used exclusively for the "gravest offences" and after exhausting all judicial proceedings.