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News Topical, Digital Desk : The claims of curbing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia are now proving to be hollow. Even though Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had said in 2022 that now the death penalty will be given only in those cases which are clearly written in the Quran, but the latest figures show that this promise has not been fulfilled.
Saudi courts are increasingly adopting a tough stance, especially in crimes related to drugs. Foreign citizens are being targeted the most. According to Amnesty International's July 2025 report, 1816 people were hanged in Saudi Arabia from January 2014 to June 2025.
How many people were hanged in 2024
Of these, 597 cases were related to drug-related crimes. According to international human rights law, death penalty should not be given in drug cases. In 2024, 345 people were hanged, which is the highest in the last 30 years.
In Saudi Arabia, there is an Islamic principle called Tajir, under which judges have the freedom to decide what punishment should be given for which crime, even if the punishment is not prescribed in the law.
How many people got death sentence under Tajir
Misusing this provision, 862 people have been sentenced to death under Tajir since 2014, which is 47.5% of the total executions. In 2024, 122 people were hanged in drug Tajir cases, while 118 were hanged in the first 6 months of 2025.
In most drug cases, Saudi Arabia is hanging workers from poor countries. These people remain out of reach of legal help.
Number of foreign nationals killed in drug cases in the last 10 years:
- Pakistan – 155
- Syria - 66
- Jordan – 50
- Yemen - 39
- Egypt - 33
- Nigeria - 32
- Somalia - 22
- Ethiopia - 13
In June 2025, the UN appealed to Saudi Arabia not to hang 26 Egyptians, but in May two of them were hanged without informing their families.
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