The last known execution took place over the weekend when a Yemeni citizen was executed after being convicted of drug smuggling, according to state media in Saudi Arabia.
News agency AFP has compiled the official reports from state media regarding executions. According to them, 101 foreign nationals have been executed in Saudi Arabia so far. This is a threefold increase compared to the number of executions in 2023 and 2022. According to available information, the number for each year was 34 foreign citizens.
Oil-rich Saudi Arabia has been heavily criticized internationally for its use of the death penalty. According to Amnesty, the country is third after China and Iran in terms of executions in 2023.
AFP reports that the total number of executions in Saudi Arabia, regardless of nationality, has reached 274 so far this year – the highest figure in three decades.
