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Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Indian Express
Exploited, executed: The forgotten foreigners on Saudi Arabia's death row for drug offences
For seven Ethiopian men and one Somali migrant, a promise of work and a meagre paycheck of just $267 (Rs 23,000) turned into a nightmare, one that now sees them awaiting execution in Saudi Arabia for drug trafficking. Their story, one of hundreds, is a part of a harsh pattern revealed by Amnesty International, and has raised alarm over the Kingdom's 'horrifying' execution spree for drug related crimes most of them foreign nationals. According to The Guardian, nearly 600 people have been executed in Saudi for drug offences over the last decade. Three out of four were foreigners from countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, Yemen, Syria, and Egypt. These were people who left home for opportunities and ended up facing punishment in a system Amnesty describes as 'grossly unfair' and covered in secrecy. After a temporary halt between 2021 and 2022, executions surged once again. In 2024 alone, 122 people were put to death for drug crimes. Just halfway through 2025, the toll stands at 118. The Guardian reports that Amnesty fears the number will only climb unless global pressure forces a shift. Dana Ahmed, Amnesty International's Middle East researcher said, 'These are people often coming from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds… They are promised a small reward, a few hundred dollars and they end up paying with their lives'. The case of the eight East African men illustrates this exposed reality. They were caught with 153 kg of cannabis, worth an estimated 3.8 million dollars and claim in court documents they were lured into the crime by traffickers during their search for employment. With no access to proper legal aid, minimal education, and little understanding of the language or legal process, their fate was sealed in a system they could not navigate. Amnesty's report points to a pattern of exploitation, coercion, and abuse, including accounts of torture and forced confessions during pre-trial detention. The report also mentioned that some prisoners were informed of their execution only a day in advance, leaving families with no chance to say goodbye or appeal for clemency. Many foreign inmates reportedly had no access to interpreters or consular support, making their legal defense virtually impossible. In several documented cases, prisoners didn't even know the status of their appeals. 'Executing someone who didn't understand their own trial, or who confessed under duress, is a obvious violation of international human rights,' said Kristine Beckerle, an Amnesty deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. 'The death penalty in these cases is not just inhumane it's fundamentally unjust.' Saudi Arabia maintains some of the world's harshest drug laws including capital punishment for non-violent offences. Yet rights groups argued that these laws disproportionately target migrant workers, the very people with the least power to defend themselves. As the world watches geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and continues to engage with Saudi Arabia economically and diplomatically, calls to hold the kingdom accountable on human rights issues have faded. But Amnesty is urging the international community not to turn a blind eye. 'These executions don't just represent numbers, they represent human lives many of which could have been saved with fair trials, proper legal aid, and compassion,' says Beckerle.
Middle East Eye
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Saudi Arabia executing foreigners on drugs charges at 'horrifying' rate, says Amnesty
There has been a surge in executions in Saudi Arabia, particularly in relation to drug offences, a new report published by Amnesty International on Monday has revealed. The kingdom executed 1,816 people between January 2014 and June 2025, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. Of those, nearly one third (597) were for drug-related offences, which may not be punishable by death under international human rights law and norms. Around three quarters of those executed for drug offences were foreign nationals. 'We are witnessing a truly horrifying trend, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty,' Amnesty's Kristine Beckerle said. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Executions in Saudi Arabia have risen steadily over the past year and a half. In 2024, the kingdom executed 345 people - the highest annual figure that Amnesty has recorded in over three decades. So far this year, 180 people have been executed. Last month alone, 46 executions were carried out, 37 of which were for drug-related offences. They were made up of nationals from Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria. In January 2021, Riyadh had announced a moratorium on drug related-executions, but that was lifted in November the following year. 'Cruel, inhuman and degrading' Last month, inmates and their relatives told Middle East Eye that executions could take place 'any day'. The men were all from Ethiopia and Somalia and had been convicted of drug trafficking. 'They have told us to say our goodbyes,' one of the convicted men told MEE. 'We were told that executions would begin shortly after Eid al-Adha (5-9 June), and now they have started.' 'Saudi Arabia's allies in the international community must exert urgent pressure on the authorities to halt their execution spree' - Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International In its report, Amnesty interviewed the families of 13 inmates on death row, as well as community members and consulate officials. It also reviewed court documents. Based on the testimonies and evidence, it concluded that limited levels of education and disadvantaged socio-economic status of foreign nationals increased their risk of exploitation and lack of legal representation. The family of 27-year-old Khalid Mohammed Ibrahim, who was put on death row on alleged drug trafficking charges, told MEE it had been a harrowing seven years for the family since he was arrested. 'He tried to enter the country through Yemen,' his older brother Muleta said. 'A border guard encouraged him to tell his jailers that he was a drug smuggler, saying it would get him sent to court and quickly cleared since there was no evidence. He believed them.' In addition to drug offences, Amnesty reported on the use of the death penalty against Saudi Arabia's Shia minority on 'terrorism' related charges. The rights group said that despite Shia communities making up around 12 percent of the Saudi population, they accounted for around 42 percent (120 of 286) of terrorism-related executions since 2014. Saudi Arabia plans to execute Shia youths on charges UN deems 'arbitrary' Read More » The report added that seven young men currently at risk of execution were under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged offences. Imposing the death penalty on those who were minors at the time of the alleged crime is prohibited under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - a treaty which Saudi Arabia is a state party to. 'The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, it should not be used under any circumstances,' said Beckerle. 'In addition to immediately establishing a moratorium on executions, pending full abolition of the death penalty, Saudi Arabia's authorities must amend national laws to remove the death penalty and commute all death sentences. 'Saudi Arabia's allies in the international community must exert urgent pressure on the authorities to halt their execution spree and uphold international human rights obligations.'
