SAUDI ARABIA: 37 ETHIOPIANS AMONG SCORES OF FOREIGN NATIONALS AT ‘IMMINENT RISK’ OF EXECUTION

June 24, 2025:

At least 37 Ethiopian men are facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia for drug-related offences, according to a joint statement by 31 civil society and human rights organizations, which raised alarm over what they described as an “imminent risk” of execution for hundreds of foreign nationals in the kingdom.
In a joint statement released on 17 June 2025, the groups said they are “gravely fearful for the lives” of detainees, particularly Ethiopian, Somali, and Egyptian nationals, amid what they described as a “dramatic surge” in executions for non-lethal drug-related offences. Citing data from the Saudi Press Agency, the organizations said 98 individuals have been executed in 2025 alone for drug-related offences, with most being foreign nationals.
The statement noted that “19 Somali and seven Ethiopian nationals have been publicly reported as executed this year, all for ‘smuggling hashish’.” It added that “three Ethiopian nationals were executed on 16 June alone,” while others reportedly live in fear of execution at any moment. It further stated that the 37 Ethiopian men, along with 27 Somali nationals, are being held on death row in Najran Central Prison in southwestern Saudi Arabia, while 26 Egyptian nationals are detained in Tabuk Central Prison in the northwest of the country.
The joint statement—signed by groups including Reprieve, ALQST for Human Rights, and the African Academy of Diplomacy—alleged that many of the detainees are “likely victims of human trafficking,” and were “coerced or deceived into transporting illicit substances.” They added that most were not given an opportunity to “plead their innocence in court.”
The statement cited what the groups called systemic violations of fair trial rights, including denial of legal representation, absence of consular support, and use of “torture-tainted confessions” as primary evidence during trials. These alleged practices, they argue, are in breach of both Saudi domestic laws and international obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Arab Charter on Human Rights.
The joint appeal also refers to recent comments by the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, who called on Saudi Arabia to halt the executions and abolish the death penalty for drug offences. The rapporteur stated that “violations of fair trial guarantees leading to the imposition of the death penalty render such sentences arbitrary and unlawful.”
Beyond the legal concerns, the organizations described what they called an “extreme cruelty” in how executions are carried out. Families are “frequently not informed” of execution dates, and often only learn of their loved ones’ deaths through the media. In many cases, bodies are not returned, and burial sites are not disclosed, the statement added.
Of the 154 executions reported in Saudi Arabia this year, the groups said 98 were for drug-related offences, with 69 foreign nationals among them.
The organizations urged the Saudi government to commute all death sentences for crimes that do not meet the threshold of “most serious crimes” under international law, to declare an official moratorium on executions, and to revise domestic legislation that permits the death penalty for offences not involving intentional killing.
A previous report by BBC also raised concern over the fate of Ethiopian nationals held in Najran Central Prison, in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Citing family members, the report stated that prison officials informed them executions would be carried out “before Eid al-Adha festival.”
BBC reported that 47 Ethiopians had been sentenced to death, including some already executed. The report also noted rising anxiety among detainees who are not informed of execution dates.