Saudi Arabian authorities executed 356 people last year, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) tally showed, setting a new record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year.
Analysts have largely attributed the surge in executions to Riyadh’s ongoing “war on drugs” — with many of those first arrested only now being executed, following legal proceedings and convictions.
Official data released by the government showed 243 people were executed in drug-related cases last year.
Photo: AP
Last year marked the second consecutive year Saudi Arabia has set a new record for executions, after authorities executed 338 people in 2024.
European Saudi Organization for Human Rights researcher Duaa Dhainy said the record-breaking numbers were “proof that promises regarding human rights reforms in Saudi Arabia have no value.”
The executions served as a message of “intimidation and fear for everyone,” including “migrant workers, minors and political opponents,” she added.
The organization confirmed that Saudi Arabia executed 356 people last year, highlighting it was the first time more foreigners were executed than Saudi Arabians in a calendar year.
Saudi Arabia resumed executions for drug offenses at the end of 2022, after suspending the use of the death penalty in narcotics cases for about three years. The Arab world’s largest economy is also one of the biggest markets for captagon, an illicit stimulant. Since launching its war on drugs, the country has increased police checkpoints on highways and at border crossings, where millions of pills have been confiscated and dozens of traffickers arrested.
Foreigners are largely bearing the brunt of the campaign to date.
Saudi Arabia has faced sustained criticism over its use of the death penalty, which rights groups have condemned as excessive and in marked contrast to the country’s efforts to present a modern image to the world.
Activists said Riyadh’s continued embrace of capital punishment undermines the image of a more open, tolerant society that is central to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform agenda.
Saudi Arabia is spending big on tourist infrastructure and top sports events such as the 2034 football World Cup as it tries to diversify its oil-reliant economy.
However, authorities in the kingdom said that the death penalty is necessary to maintain public order and is used only after all avenues for appeal have been exhausted.
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