Saudi Arabia has executed 1,816 people between January 2014 and June 2025, nearly a third of them for drug-related offences, Amnesty International revealed in a report on Monday.
Of the 597 drug-related executions, about three-quarters were foreign nationals.
“We are witnessing a truly horrifying trend, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty,” said Kristine Beckerle of Amnesty.
The kingdom lifted a moratorium on drug-related executions in late 2022. Since then, the rate has surged. In 2024 alone, 345 people were executed — the highest in over three decades. So far in 2025, 180 people have been executed, including 46 last month — 37 of them for drug offences.
Amnesty noted that foreign nationals often lacked legal representation and came from disadvantaged backgrounds. It also condemned executions of Shia minorities and juveniles, calling on Saudi Arabia to abolish the death penalty completely.