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Saudi Arabia executes 17 people in three days amid growing criticism
Saudi Arabia has executed 17 individuals over the past three days, including two Saudis for "terrorism" on Monday and seven foreigners for drug trafficking on Sunday, according to an AFP tally based on official announcements.
So far in 2025, the kingdom has carried out 239 executions, 161 of which were related to drug offenses. In 2024, Saudi Arabia executed 338 people, a record that may soon be surpassed at the current pace.
Monday’s executions in Mecca involved two Saudi nationals convicted of terrorist offenses. Over the weekend, 15 people were executed, including 13 for smuggling hashish and one for trafficking cocaine. All but one were foreign nationals. The last time Saudi Arabia executed such a large number of individuals in such a short period was in March 2022, when 81 people were put to death in a single day.
Among the 136 foreigners executed in 2025, 125 were for drug-related crimes.
According to Jeed Basyouni from the UK-based rights group Reprieve, “The year 2025 has seen a sharp increase in executions for drug offenses, particularly involving cannabis.” She emphasized that this stands in contrast to global trends favoring decriminalization and harm-reduction approaches.
The rise in executions coincides with Riyadh’s intensified “war on drugs,” launched in 2023 to curb the growing consumption of captagon, a powerful amphetamine, which the UN identifies as widely used in the region.
Saudi Arabia resumed drug-related executions in late 2022 after a three-year moratorium. Since then, the country has carried out 19 executions in 2022, two in 2023, and 117 in 2024.
Authorities claim the death penalty is only applied after all legal appeals are exhausted and that it is necessary to ensure public safety and protect society. However, rights organizations argue that the continued use of capital punishment undermines Saudi Arabia's efforts to portray a modern and reforming image internationally.