Saudi Arabia Executes 356 in Record Year

Saudi Arabia carried out at least 356 executions in 2025, the highest number ever recorded in a single year, according to a tally compiled by AFP.

The figure marks a sharp increase and sets a new annual record for capital punishment in the kingdom.

Observers say the rise is largely linked to Saudi Arabia’s intensified crackdown on narcotics, launched several years ago. Many of those executed this year were arrested earlier and only recently reached the final stages of lengthy legal proceedings. Government data cited by AFP indicates that 243 executions in 2025 were related to drug offences.

This is the second year in a row that the kingdom has broken its own execution record. In 2024, authorities carried out 338 executions, already a historic high.

Duaa Dhainy, a researcher with the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights, said the growing numbers cast doubt on Saudi Arabia’s commitments to human rights reform. She described the executions as a tool of intimidation affecting not only citizens but also migrant workers, minors and political dissidents.

The organisation confirmed that 2025 marked the first time more foreign nationals were executed than Saudi citizens within a single calendar year, underscoring concerns that non-Saudis are disproportionately affected.

Saudi Arabia resumed executions for drug-related crimes in late 2022, ending a suspension that had lasted nearly three years. The policy shift came amid a broader campaign against drug trafficking, particularly targeting captagon, a synthetic stimulant that has flooded the region. The United Nations has previously identified captagon as a major illicit trade, with Syria being a key production hub prior to the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

As part of the anti-drug drive, Saudi authorities have tightened security at borders and highways, seizing millions of pills and arresting numerous suspected traffickers.

Human rights organizations have long criticized the kingdom’s extensive use of the death penalty, arguing it clashes with efforts to promote a modern and reform-oriented image. Activists say continued executions undermine Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 agenda, which seeks to portray Saudi Arabia as a more open and tolerant society.

The kingdom has invested heavily in tourism, entertainment and international sporting events, including preparations to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, as it works to diversify its economy beyond oil.

Saudi officials maintain that capital punishment is essential for preserving public safety and insist it is applied only after all legal appeals are exhausted.

Amnesty International has tracked executions in Saudi Arabia since 1990, though reliable figures from earlier decades remain unavailable.