Over 100 foreigners, executed in Saudi Arabia in 2024

Saudi Arabia has executed over 100 foreigners this year, according to an AFP tally.

The most recent execution, on Saturday, November 16, in the southwestern region of Najran, involved a Yemeni national convicted of smuggling drugs into the Gulf kingdom, as reported by the official Saudi Press Agency.

This brings the total number of foreigners executed in 2024 to 101, as per the tally, which is compiled from reports in state media.

This figure is nearly three times higher than the annual average of 34 foreigners executed in 2023 and 2022, as recorded by AFP tallies.

The Berlin-based European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) has noted that this year’s executions have already set a new record.

‘This is the largest number of executions of foreigners in one year. Saudi Arabia has never executĕd 100 foreigners in a year,’ said Taha al-Hajji, the group’s legal director.

Saudi Arabia has executed the third-highest number of prisoners globally in 2023, following China and Iran, according to Amnesty International.

In September, AFP reported that Saudi Arabia had executed its highest number of foreigners in over three decades, surpassing its previous records of 196 in 2022 and 192 in 1995.

Since then, executions have continued at a rapid pace, reaching a total of 274 as of Sunday, according to AFP’s tally.

This year’s executions have included individuals from various countries, such as 21 from Pakistan, 20 from Yemen, 14 from Syria, 10 from Nigeria, 9 from Egypt, 8 from Jordan, and 7 from Ethiopia.

Additionally, there have been three executions each from Sudan, India, and Afghanistan, and one from Sri Lanka, Eritrea, and the Philippines.

Saudi Arabia resumed executions for drug-related crimes in 2022 after a three-year moratorium, and this has significantly contributed to the increase in executions this year.

So far, 92 executions have been carried out, with 69 of them involving foreigners, according to the AFP tally.

Diplomats and activists have noted that foreigners face greater challenges in ensuring a fair trial, including access to court documents.

“Foreign defendants are particularly vulnerable,” said Hajji of the ESOHR. “They are often victims of major drug traffickers and endure numerous violations from the moment of their arrest to their execution.”