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Saudi Arabia Keeps Record Execution Pace as Drug Cases Dominate

The kingdom has carried out 180 executions in the first half of 2025 after last year’s record of 345, intensifying scrutiny over capital punishment for non-violent offenses.

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Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman is shown on Jeddah on March 20, 2024. At least one activist thinks the crown should discourage the use of the death penalty in drug possession cases.

Overview

  • Saudi Arabia executed 345 people in 2024 and has already put 180 to death in 2025’s first six months, marking its highest execution rates in over three decades.
  • About two-thirds of this year’s executions were for non-violent drug offenses, according to the activist group Reprieve.
  • Foreign nationals account for a disproportionate share of drug-related death sentences and frequently face limited or no legal representation.
  • A 2021 moratorium on executions for drug crimes ended without explanation after nearly three years, despite Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s 2022 vow to limit capital punishment to homicide.
  • Rights observers warn that the kingdom’s sustained use of the death penalty for drug offenses contradicts international legal norms and its own Vision 2030 modernization goals.