RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (BN24) — Saudi Arabia has executed 17 individuals in the span of just three days, including two men put to death on Monday for terrorism-related offenses, marking the country’s fastest rate of capital punishment since 2022 and drawing renewed scrutiny from human rights advocates.
According to the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the two executions on August 4 followed a weekend wave in which 15 people—mostly foreign nationals—were executed for drug-related offenses. Thirteen of the individuals were convicted of smuggling hashish, and another was executed for smuggling cocaine. Monday’s executions were the first tied to terrorism since the weekend surge.
The recent spike mirrors a grim benchmark not seen since March 2022, when 81 people were executed in a single day for terrorism offenses, prompting international condemnation. With 239 executions already carried out in 2025—including 161 for drug-related crimes and 136 involving foreign nationals—Saudi Arabia is on course to surpass the 338 executions recorded in 2024, the highest since official data became publicly available in the early 1990s.
Jeed Basyouni of the UK-based rights group Reprieve expressed alarm at the intensifying use of capital punishment, particularly for drug offenses involving hashish. “This is particularly concerning given the global trend toward decriminalising the possession and use of hashish,” Basyouni told AFP, adding that foreign nationals continue to make up the majority of those executed in such cases.
Analysts attribute the surge to the kingdom’s aggressive anti-drug campaign launched in 2023. Many of those executed in recent days were arrested in the early stages of the crackdown and have since undergone legal proceedings culminating in capital sentences. Saudi authorities had previously suspended executions for drug-related crimes for nearly three years, but resumed the practice in late 2022.
While the government insists that each execution follows due legal process and serves the dual goals of deterring crime and maintaining national security, human rights advocates argue that the high volume of executions—particularly for non-violent drug offenses—undermines Saudi Arabia’s efforts to present a reformed image to the world.
The rise in capital punishment comes as the kingdom continues to promote Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, an ambitious initiative aimed at modernizing the country’s economy and enhancing its global standing. Critics contend that the continued application of the death penalty, particularly against low-level offenders, remains at odds with those reformist goals.
