Saudi Arabia executes nearly 100 people in first half of year, Amnesty reports

Saudi Arabia has executed nearly 100 people in the first six months of 2026, a stark figure that Amnesty International describes as a "somber milestone." The human rights organization reported that 96 individuals, including 39 foreign nationals, have been put to death this year.

“

We are halfway through the year and Saudi Arabia has executed almost 100 people, a somber milestone that highlights the inadmissible and illegal use of the death penalty by the authorities.

Drug-related offenses are a primary driver of these executions, accounting for 61 of the total. Of these, 39 were foreign nationals and 22 were Saudi citizens. Amnesty International highlighted that foreigners are disproportionately affected by the kingdom's stringent drug laws, often facing "grossly unfair trials."

“

Of the 96 people executed so far in 2026, 61 were executed for drug-related offenses, with 39 of them foreigners and 22 Saudis.

"Foreigners have been the main victims of the relentless use of the death penalty" for drug offenses, the organization stated. Foreign nationals constituted 75% of drug-related executions in 2024 and 78% in 2025, underscoring a persistent pattern.

“

Foreigners have been the main victims of the relentless use of the death penalty by the kingdom for drug trafficking offenses, often after grossly unfair trials.

Amnesty International expressed particular alarm over the imminent risk of execution for at least 63 Ethiopian citizens held in a single detention center. Their situation has become more critical following the execution of seven Ethiopians earlier this year for hashish smuggling. The organization criticizes Saudi Arabia for continuing to apply the death penalty for offenses that international law deems should not be punishable by death, such as drug-related crimes. The report notes that Saudi Arabia remains one of the countries with the highest number of executions globally, recording at least 356 in 2025 alone.

“

It is deeply alarming that at least 63 Ethiopian citizens, held in a single section of the Khamis Mushait detention center in southwestern Saudi Arabia, are at imminent risk of execution solely for drug-related offenses.