 "Saudi Arabia executes three Indians among record 101 foreigners in 2024")
Saudi Arabia has executed more than 100 foreign nationals in 2024, marking a significant rise in such cases, according to a report by news agency AFP. The most recent execution involved a Yemeni individual convicted of drug smuggling into the kingdom.
This brings the total number of foreign nationals executed this year to 101 — triple the figures recorded in 2023 and 2022, where 34 foreigners were executed annually, the report said.
This year’s executions include individuals from several nations, such as 21 from Pakistan, 20 from Yemen, and 14 from Syria, among others. There were also three each from Sudan, India and Afghanistan, and one each from Sri Lanka, Eritrea and the Philippines.
This year’s executions involved individuals from multiple countries, including:
21 from Pakistan
20 from Yemen
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14 from Syria
Additional executions included:
3 each from Sudan, India, and Afghanistan
1 each from Sri Lanka, Eritrea, and the Philippines
Record-breaking capital punishment figures in Saudi Arabia
In September, Saudi Arabia executed the highest number of people in over 30 years, surpassing its previous records of 196 in 2022 and 192 in 1995. The total number of executions in 2024 has reached 274 as of mid-November, AFP noted.
Drug-related charges account for 92 of these executions, with 69 involving foreign nationals. Amnesty International identified Saudi Arabia as having carried out the third-largest number of executions globally in 2023, following China and Iran.
Taha al-Hajji, legal director of the Berlin-based European-Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR), was quoted as saying that this is the highest number of foreign executions in a single year. Saudi Arabia has never crossed the 100-mark for foreigners before.
Human rights groups condemn Saudi Arabia’s execution spree
Human rights groups have condemned Saudi Arabia’s extensive use of the death penalty, describing it as “excessive” and inconsistent with the kingdom’s attempts to project a more modern and tourist-friendly image.
Saudi Arabia had lifted a three-year moratorium on drug-related executions in 2022, contributing significantly to this year’s surge.
According to activists, foreign defendants often face systemic disadvantages in Saudi courts, such as limited access to legal documents. “Foreigners are the most vulnerable group,” Hajji explained, adding that many are victims of drug networks and endure severe violations from arrest to execution.
Jeed Basyouni of the NGO Reprieve highlighted that the frequent arrests and executions for drug-related offences were “perpetuating the cycle of violence”. She noted that the total number of executions in 2024 could surpass 300 by year-end.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously claimed that the death penalty in Saudi Arabia was reserved for murder and cases threatening multiple lives. However, the ongoing executions seem to contradict these statements.