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Ethiopians on Saudi death row live in 'hell' awaiting execution
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Crime & Justice

Ethiopians on Saudi death row live in 'hell' awaiting execution

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Dozens of Ethiopian prisoners facing execution in Saudi Arabia are living in deplorable conditions in Khamis Mushait detention center.
  • One prisoner described guards taking five men for execution, detailing the fear and despair among inmates.
  • Families in Ethiopia are deeply concerned for their sons, many from Tigray, who were arrested for alleged drug trafficking after seeking work in Saudi Arabia.

Dozens of Ethiopian prisoners on death row in Saudi Arabia endure dire conditions at the Khamis Mushait detention center, their hope dwindling as they await execution. "We have all lost hope. Every day the guards come, we think we are closer to death," said Berhane Hagos, a 27-year-old Ethiopian immigrant facing execution, who spoke under a pseudonym for security reasons.

We have all lost hope. Every day the guards come, we think we are closer to death.

— Berhane HagosAn Ethiopian immigrant on death row in Saudi Arabia describes the conditions and fear in Khamis Mushait detention center.

Hagos recounted the chilling moment guards selected five men from their cells for execution the following day. "On Sunday, the guards arrived with photos of the five migrants who were going to be executed. They checked which room they were in. Then, at eight the next morning, several guards arrived, tied up the five migrants, took them out of their room, and executed them," he stated. "We are living in hell," Hagos added, "we have no life to dream of. We feel like dead people."

On Sunday, the guards arrived with photos of the five migrants who were going to be executed. They checked which room they were in. Then, at eight the next morning, several guards arrived, tied up the five migrants, took them out of their room, and executed them.

— Berhane HagosDescribing the process of executions at the detention center.

Solomon Girmay, another prisoner on death row using a false identity, shared the constant fear of uncertainty. He witnessed an incident where guards came for his cellmate, Teklay Negash. Negash knew his execution was imminent and spent the night talking with other prisoners, oscillating between tears and laughter. "Goodbye. Be strong. Goodbye. Tell my family I have been executed," Negash reportedly said as the guards led him away, his eyes filled with tears.

We are living in hell, we have no life to dream of. We feel like dead people.

— Berhane HagosExpressing the despair of prisoners facing execution.

The plight of Ethiopian migrants in Saudi Arabia also weighs heavily on their families back home. Medhin Gebrezgabhier has two sons, Abraham, 23, and Samuel, 26, imprisoned after emigrating for work. "The fate of our children has robbed us of happiness and deteriorated our health, leaving us depressed as a family," she said. Many of these young men hail from Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, traveling through Yemen in search of legitimate work, only to be arrested by Saudi police and accused of hashish trafficking, according to Human Rights Watch.

Goodbye. Be strong. Goodbye. Tell my family I have been executed.

— Teklay NegashLast words of a fellow prisoner to Solomon Girmay before his execution.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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