Saudi Arabia sets new high in executions reflecting human rights concerns.

Photo by silvio mencarelli on pexels.com 

In 2025, Saudi Arabian authorities set a new record, but not a positive one: at least 356 people were executed, the highest number recorded in a single year since systematic monitoring began. This surpasses the previous record of 345 executions in 2024, marking the second consecutive year of a dramatic increase in capital punishment.

The scale of the phenomenon reveals a stark pattern. Nearly 70 percent of those sentenced to death were foreign nationals, many convicted of drug-related offenses. According to the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOhHR) and the NGO Reprieve, 240 people were put to death for drug-related crimes, including 188 foreign nationals from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Yemen. While local authorities justify these sentences as part of their “war on drugs,” the 2025 figures mark a significant escalation compared with previous years.

Executions were not limited to drug offenses. Among the victims there were journalists and anti-corruption critics, including Turki al-Jasser, who reported on corruption within the royal family. Particularly alarming are cases involving individuals sentenced for acts committed while they were children, such as Abdullah al-Derazi and Jalal al-Labbad, both put to death due to charges stemming from terrorism-related or discretionary offenses after proceedings widely criticised as unfair. 

The sharp rise in executions has drawn strong reactions from human rights organisations and renewed scrutiny of Saudi Arabia’s legal obligations.  Under international standards, the Arab Charter on Human Rights requires signatories, including Saudi Arabia, to impose the death penalty only for the most serious crimes. Similarly, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Saudi Arabia is a party, prohibits the imposition of capital punishment for offenses committed by individuals under the age of 18. Additionally, a 2020 Royal Decree purportedly abolished the death penalty for minors. The application of such sentences for crimes committed as children therefore violate both international law and domestic legislation, making the practice particularly egregious.

In the face of these events, the international community has reacted with mounting concern. In November 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned of the risks posed by Saudi Arabia’s resumption of executions for drug offenses following a 21-month unofficial moratorium. Since then, human rights organisations have continued to sound the alarm.  

In contrast, Saudi authorities emphasise domestic priorities, maintaining that the death penalty is necessary to preserve public order and is imposed only after all avenues of appeal have been exhausted. However, despite the promises of the national reform plan Vision 2030 to modernise society and curb capital punishment, the 2024–2025 execution figures show a sharply opposite trend. This gap highlights the growing divergence between international criticism and domestic policy justifications.

The repercussions reach far beyond national borders. Countries whose nationals were executed have lodged diplomatic protests, and international companies face growing reputational risks for operating within a system marked by severe human rights violations. Observers also point out that the increasing use of capital punishment for non-lethal and minor offenses appears to be a deliberate deterrence strategy, heightening tensions between Saudi authorities, human rights defenders, and foreign governments.

As global scrutiny grows, the record number of executions in 2025 starkly exposes Saudi Arabia’s trajectory. Rather than signaling reform, it shows the death penalty’s continued use as a tool of repression, with devastating human costs and urgent questions about accountability and human rights. Without sustained international pressure, the 2025 trend risks becoming entrenched, with profound human, diplomatic, and moral consequences. 

written by Clara Pescatori