Saudi Arabia Executes Over 100 Foreigners In 2024, Triple Than Last Year

The latest execution took place on Saturday in Najran, where a Yemeni national was executed for drug smuggling. This brought the total number of foreign nationals executed this year to 101.

Saudi Arabia has executed over 100 foreign nationals in 2024, marking a significant increase compared to previous years, according to a tally by AFP, which a rights group described as unprecedented.

The latest execution took place on Saturday in Najran, where a Yemeni national was executed for drug smuggling, as reported by the official Saudi Press Agency. This brought the total number of foreign nationals executed this year to 101, based on state media reports compiled by AFP.

AFP noted that this year's figures are nearly three times higher than those in 2023 and 2022 when 34 foreigners were executed each year. The European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR), based in Berlin stated that this year's executions had already set a record.

"This is the largest number of executions of foreigners in one year. Saudi Arabia has never executed 100 foreigners in a year," said Taha al-Hajji, the group's legal director.

Saudi Arabia has faced ongoing criticism for its heavy use of the death penalty, which human rights organizations argue contradicts the country’s efforts to reform its image and attract international tourists and investors.

According to Amnesty International, the oil-rich kingdom executed the third-highest number of prisoners in the world following China and Iran in 2023

AFP also reported that Saudi Arabia carried out its highest number of executions in over 30 years in September, surpassing its previous records of 196 executions in 2022 and 192 in 1995. By Sunday, the total number of executions for 2024 had reached 274, continuing at a rapid pace.

The executed foreign nationalists included 21 from Pakistan, 20 from Yemen, 14 from Syria, 10 from Nigeria, nine from Egypt, eight from Jordan, and seven from Ethiopia. In addition, three nationals each from Sudan, India, and Afghanistan, and one each from Sri Lanka, Eritrea, and the Philippines.

Foreign Nationals Are Among Most Vulnerable To Fair Trial

The sharp increase in executions is linked to the kingdom’s decision in 2022 to lift a three-year moratorium on executing drug offenders. This year, 92 executions have been drug-related, with 69 of those involving foreigners.

Activists and diplomats argue that foreign defendants often face greater obstacles in securing fair trials, including limited access to court documents. Foreign nationals are among the most vulnerable, said ESOHR's Hajji, adding that they are not only victims of drug cartels but also face violations from their arrest to their execution.

Saudi Arabia is quite famous for executing the convicted of capital crimes by beheading, however, the official statements rarely specify the method of execution.

This surge in executions contrasts with comments by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who claimed in a 2022 interview with The Atlantic that the death penalty had been restricted to cases involving murder or threats to multiple lives.

Jeed Basyouni, who leads anti-death penalty advocacy in the Middle East for the NGO Reprieve, said that ongoing drug-related executions perpetuate violence.

Basyouni also highlighted that the total executions for 2024 are expected to surpass 300. "This is an unprecedented execution crisis in Saudi Arabia," said Basyouni. "Families of foreign nationals on death row are understandably terrified that their loved one will be next."