Saudi Arabia carried out the execution of two individuals on Monday, August 4, for “terrorist crimes,” bringing the total number of executions in the kingdom to 17 over a period of three days, as reported by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The most recent executions came after a surge over the weekend, during which 15 people, predominantly foreign nationals, were put to death for drug-related offenses. Thirteen were convicted for smuggling hashish, while another was executed for smuggling cocaine. Monday’s executions were the first for terrorism-related offenses since the weekend’s increase.
This represents the fastest pace of capital punishment in the kingdom since March 2022, when 81 individuals were executed in a single day for terrorism offenses, an action that sparked widespread international criticism.
Saudi Arabia, recognized as one of the world’s leading practitioners of the death penalty, has now conducted 239 executions in 2025 alone. This includes 161 for drug-related crimes and 136 involving foreign nationals, according to an AFP analysis of official statements.
The country is on pace to exceed the 338 executions recorded in 2024—the highest number since public records began in the early 1990s.
Jeed Basyouni of Reprieve, a UK-based human rights organization, voiced concern over the rise in executions, particularly for drug offenses involving hashish. “This is particularly concerning given the global trend toward decriminalising the possession and use of hashish,” she told AFP.
Basyouni also pointed out that foreign nationals constitute the majority of those executed for such offenses.
Analysts link the surge in executions to the kingdom’s intensified “war on drugs,” initiated in 2023. Many of those recently executed were arrested during the campaign’s early phases and have since gone through legal proceedings resulting in capital punishment.
Although Saudi Arabia had paused executions for drug crimes for nearly three years, it resumed the practice at the end of 2022. The government asserts that all executions adhere to due process and are intended to uphold national security and deter criminal behavior.
However, human rights activists contend that the ongoing use of the death penalty, especially against low-level drug offenders, undermines efforts to portray the kingdom as a more progressive and open society, a central component of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform initiative.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli