🔗 Share this article Rights Groups Denounce Unprecedented High in Capital Punishment in the Kingdom Issam al-Shazly was executed after a drug conviction. The nation has surpassed its previous yearly high for the carrying out of death sentences for a second year running. A minimum of 347 individuals have been executed so far this year, according to a UK-based advocacy organization that tracks such proceedings. This figure is higher than the total of 345 recorded in 2024, making it what the group calls the "most lethal year of executions in the kingdom since records started." The newest people put to death involved two Pakistani nationals sentenced on drug-related offences. Breakdown of the Sentences Further cases this year comprised a journalist and two young men who were children at the time of their reported acts connected to dissent. A total of five were women. Yet, per the monitoring group, the vast bulk—approximately two-thirds—were convicted for non-lethal substance violations. Global organizations have said that applying the death penalty for such crimes is "incompatible with international human rights standards." A majority of those put to death were foreign nationals, caught up in what appears to be a "crackdown on substances" within the kingdom. "Saudi Arabia is operating with complete impunity now," said a official of the campaign. "It's almost making a mockery of the international rights framework." The official further characterized extracted statements through mistreatment as "endemic" within the Saudi judicial process, calling it a "brutal and arbitrary crackdown." Individual Cases Among those subjected to capital punishment was a young fisherman from Egypt, arrested in 2021. He is said to have claimed he was forced into trafficking narcotics. Loved ones of men on awaiting execution for drug charges have given accounts privately the "terror" they now live in. "The single occasion of the week that I rest is on the weekend because there are no executions on those days," an individual recounted. Other prisoners have reportedly observed individuals they lived alongside for years being "taken in protest to their death." Political Climate The paramount authority of Saudi Arabia, whose rise began in 2017, has presided over significant societal reforms, loosening some rules while simultaneously silencing criticism. While the country has welcomed foreign engagement in a bid to broaden its financial base, its human rights record remains "abysmal" according to rights groups. "There have been no consequences for proceeding with these executions," said a analyst focusing on the region. "High-profile activities continue with little backlash." Reports suggest families of the deceased are typically left in the dark, denied the bodies, and not told where they are interred. Global Condemnation A UN special rapporteur has demanded an immediate moratorium on executions in Saudi Arabia, advocating for eventual an end to the practice. The rapporteur also stressed the need for "full compliance with international safeguards," including legal assistance and embassy contact for non-citizens. Specific cases have drawn particular ire, including those of individuals who were under the age of majority at the time of their charged acts and a writer executed on terrorism and treason charges. "Executions against journalists is a chilling attack on freedom of expression," said a leading UNESCO figure. In a formal letter to international queries, Saudi authorities have stated that the country "defends and maintains human rights" and that its laws "outlaw and sanction torture." The communication added that the death penalty is used exclusively for the "most serious crimes" and after exhausting all legal processes.
Issam al-Shazly was executed after a drug conviction. The nation has surpassed its previous yearly high for the carrying out of death sentences for a second year running. A minimum of 347 individuals have been executed so far this year, according to a UK-based advocacy organization that tracks such proceedings. This figure is higher than the total of 345 recorded in 2024, making it what the group calls the "most lethal year of executions in the kingdom since records started." The newest people put to death involved two Pakistani nationals sentenced on drug-related offences. Breakdown of the Sentences Further cases this year comprised a journalist and two young men who were children at the time of their reported acts connected to dissent. A total of five were women. Yet, per the monitoring group, the vast bulk—approximately two-thirds—were convicted for non-lethal substance violations. Global organizations have said that applying the death penalty for such crimes is "incompatible with international human rights standards." A majority of those put to death were foreign nationals, caught up in what appears to be a "crackdown on substances" within the kingdom. "Saudi Arabia is operating with complete impunity now," said a official of the campaign. "It's almost making a mockery of the international rights framework." The official further characterized extracted statements through mistreatment as "endemic" within the Saudi judicial process, calling it a "brutal and arbitrary crackdown." Individual Cases Among those subjected to capital punishment was a young fisherman from Egypt, arrested in 2021. He is said to have claimed he was forced into trafficking narcotics. Loved ones of men on awaiting execution for drug charges have given accounts privately the "terror" they now live in. "The single occasion of the week that I rest is on the weekend because there are no executions on those days," an individual recounted. Other prisoners have reportedly observed individuals they lived alongside for years being "taken in protest to their death." Political Climate The paramount authority of Saudi Arabia, whose rise began in 2017, has presided over significant societal reforms, loosening some rules while simultaneously silencing criticism. While the country has welcomed foreign engagement in a bid to broaden its financial base, its human rights record remains "abysmal" according to rights groups. "There have been no consequences for proceeding with these executions," said a analyst focusing on the region. "High-profile activities continue with little backlash." Reports suggest families of the deceased are typically left in the dark, denied the bodies, and not told where they are interred. Global Condemnation A UN special rapporteur has demanded an immediate moratorium on executions in Saudi Arabia, advocating for eventual an end to the practice. The rapporteur also stressed the need for "full compliance with international safeguards," including legal assistance and embassy contact for non-citizens. Specific cases have drawn particular ire, including those of individuals who were under the age of majority at the time of their charged acts and a writer executed on terrorism and treason charges. "Executions against journalists is a chilling attack on freedom of expression," said a leading UNESCO figure. In a formal letter to international queries, Saudi authorities have stated that the country "defends and maintains human rights" and that its laws "outlaw and sanction torture." The communication added that the death penalty is used exclusively for the "most serious crimes" and after exhausting all legal processes.