Saudi Arabia carried out 100 executions during the first four months of 2025, according to a tracking of announced executions. The European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) believes that these figures indicate a new bloody year that may surpass 2024, which was among the bloodiest years in the country's history.
The organization explains that reaching this number of executions in the first third of the year has only happened in years that witnessed mass slaughter during the same period. The fact that 70 percent of these sentences were carried out on charges that are not considered “the most serious crimes” reveals that Saudi Arabia continues to use the maximum penalty in violation of international law, which limits it to intentional homicide and only in the narrowest of circumstances.
According to the organization's data, political and drug charges accounted for 70 percent of all cases, while murder cases accounted for 28 percent and armed robbery cases for 2 percent.
According to Ministry of Interior data, executions were distributed among various nationalities as follows: Saudis: 57, Pakistanis: 10, Yemenis: 4, Syrians: 4, Egyptians: 2, Jordanians: 5, Iranians: 6, Nigerians, Afghans, Somalis: 3 each, Sudanese: 2, Indian and stateless: 1 each. Foreigners accounted for 43% of the total number of people executed.
Type of sentence:
64 ta'zir, 27 qisas, 4 unmentioned, mostly ta'zir in political cases, and 3 hudud sharia.
The organization notes that ta'zir sentences are subject to the discretionary power of judges, and death sentences issued under them rely on a strict and rare interpretation. In February 2021, Bin Salman announced legislative regulations that he said would contribute to the development of the legislative environment and stabilize the systemic reference point, limiting individuality in sentencing and providing predictability. Despite this, these sentences accounted for 64% of all sentences carried out since the beginning of 2025, showing that Saudi Arabia continues to carry them out despite all the promises.
Drugs
59% of executions were related to drug-related charges, including 20 people executed solely on hashish-related charges. Of these, 22 were Saudis, meaning that more than 62% of drug-related executions involved foreigners.
The organization documented serious violations against a number of these individuals, including torture and denial of the right to defense, while others are still awaiting execution under severe psychological pressure.
Political Cases
Saudi Arabia has carried out 11 death sentences on political charges, such as joining banned organizations, spying, or targeting security personnel. In four of these cases, the type of verdict was not mentioned, reflecting a continuation of the manipulation that Saudi authorities began last year, when they also failed to mention the type of court that handed down the sentences.
The organization notes that the lack of transparency makes it impossible to determine the actual number of people on death row. For example, 28 Egyptian prisoners in Tabuk prison facing death sentences in drug cases are still under tremendous psychological pressure.
The organization is also following 63 cases of people facing the death penalty on political charges, including minors and protesters. The execution of 100 death sentences in just four months represents a serious escalation of official violence, a blatant disregard for international criticism, and the continued use of the death penalty as a tool of political and social intimidation.