By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter
Saudi Arabia, 1 January 2026 - Saudi Arabia carried out 356 executions in 2025, the highest number on record in a single year, according to tallies by Agence France-Presse and human rights monitoring groups.
The figure marks a second consecutive year of rising executions, following 338 deaths in 2024, and has renewed international scrutiny of the kingdom’s use of capital punishment.
Authorities in Riyadh attribute the surge largely to an intensified “war on drugs” campaign, launched in recent years and focused on narcotics trafficking and distribution.
Official data indicate that 243 of this year’s executions were connected to drug-related offences alone, a dramatic rise since the kingdom lifted a moratorium on death sentences for drug crimes in late 2022.
Saudi Arabia’s anti-narcotics drive has included increased police checkpoints along highways and border crossings where millions of illicit pills, particularly of captagon, a stimulant long exported from Syria, have been seized and dozens of suspects arrested.
Foreign nationals form a high proportion of those executed, with many convicted of drug smuggling under tough Saudi law.
Human rights groups have condemned the kingdom’s execution surge as disproportionate and incompatible with international norms.
Kristine Beckerle, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, described the trend as “a truly horrifying rise, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty.”
Amnesty has documented a rising share of executions for non-lethal drug offences, policies that many rights advocates say breach global human rights law.
A joint NGO statement signed by human rights organisations including Reprieve and the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights called for an immediate halt to executions and a moratorium with a view toward eventual abolition.
It urged Saudi authorities to honour international safeguards, end capital punishment for children and non-violent crimes, and ensure transparency in execution practices.
Some reports highlight the lack of transparency around trials and execution procedures, with no independent observers allowed access to evidence, sentencing processes, or appeals, raising questions about fairness and due process.
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According to a rights advocacy briefing, executions are often carried out abruptly with little advance notice to families, undermining trust in the justice system.
In addition to drug offences, several executions have stirred alarm for involving politically sensitive cases or alleged irregularities.
Activists and rights bodies pointed to the deaths of individuals convicted on charges related to protest activity or terrorism, sometimes based on “confessions” obtained under questionable conditions, underscoring concerns that capital punishment is being applied beyond the narrowest legal boundaries.
Human rights advocates have also highlighted cases involving individuals who were minors at the time of their alleged crimes, terming such executions violations of international legal protections.
United Nations experts have repeatedly urged Saudi authorities to review and reverse such sentences, framing them as arbitrary and unlawful under global human rights standards.
Saudi officials maintain that the death penalty is applied only after full judicial review and appeals and argue it is necessary to maintain public order and deter serious crimes.
In response to past UN concerns, Riyadh asserted that its justice system prohibits torture and insists on legal safeguards before any execution, defending the use of capital punishment as consistent with domestic law.
Nevertheless, critics note that the kingdom’s use of executions, especially for drug-related and other non-violent offences, runs counter to the global trend toward reduced use of capital punishment.
While Saudi Arabia positions itself as pursuing modernization and economic diversification under Vision 2030, rights groups argue that the rise in executions undermines efforts to project a more open and tolerant image internationally.
Saudi Arabia’s record execution levels also feed broader discussions on human rights in the Middle East, where Iran and Iraq have likewise recorded high numbers of executions in recent years, contributing to Asia and the Middle East accounting for the majority of known global executions according to international monitoring data.
Saudi Arabia along with these states has featured prominently in Amnesty International’s global reports on capital punishment, which chart execution trends and rights concerns worldwide.
