Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia Executes Five Ethiopian Nationals

Was this a lawful act of justice or a gross violation of human rights?

Published JUL 30

Saudi Arabia Executes Five Ethiopian Nationals

Story

Above: The national flag of Saudi Arabia in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on April 2. Image credit: Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

The Facts

Saudi Arabia executed five Ethiopian nationals on Monday in the Asir region for hashish smuggling. The Saudi Ministry of Interior confirmed the executions, stating the ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court before a royal order was issued to carry out the sentences.
Saudi Press Agency
All five men executed were from Ethiopia's Tigray region and had traveled through Yemen before entering Saudi Arabia. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the five individuals had only three court sessions, each lasting between three and twenty minutes. Two of these sessions were conducted remotely, and they lacked legal representation.
Human Rights Watch
The organization claimed that the deaths meant that at least 17 Ethiopians had been executed in Saudi Arabia on drug-related charges since the start of 2026, with a minimum of 79 more supposedly at imminent risk of execution on similar charges.
Human Rights Watch
Citing data from the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR), HRW also stated that at least 116 people in total had been executed as of Monday, with an ESOHR analysis earlier in the month showing that the majority — 66% — were for drug-related offenses.
Human Rights Watch
European Saudi Organization for Human Rights
Per the ESOHR, the figures brought the total number of those executed under King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to over 2,000 in the first half of the year. It is a record that exceeds the tallies recorded under previous reigns.
European Saudi Organization for Human Rights
Saudi Arabia consistently ranks among both the world's top executioners, behind China and Iran, and the collection of countries, along with Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore, among others, that permit the death penalty for drug offenses.
Amnesty International
guardian
Harm Reduction International

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

Saudi Arabia's execution of five Ethiopian nationals for hashish smuggling upholds the rule of law and protects society from the devastating harm drugs cause. The Kingdom's courts followed proper legal procedures, including appeals confirmed by the Supreme Court. Enforcing strict penalties against drug traffickers is a legitimate sovereign right that safeguards citizens and residents alike.

Saudi Press Agency

Narrative B

These five Ethiopian men were desperate refugees from war-torn Tigray who didn't even know they'd crossed into Saudi Arabia when arrested. Court sessions lasted mere minutes, no lawyers were provided, and documents were signed in a language the men couldn't read. Executing vulnerable migrants after sham trials for nonlethal drug offenses isn't justice — it's a gross violation of international human rights law.