Saudi Arabia Executes 347 People in 2025 – Rights Groups.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
December 22, 2025
Human rights organizations have reported that Saudi Arabia carried out the execution of at least 347 people in 2025, marking a significant increase compared to the number recorded in 2024.
According to a joint report released by a coalition of international rights groups over the weekend, the majority of those executed were convicted of drug-related offences, particularly drug trafficking. The report noted that more than half of the executed individuals were foreign nationals, raising concerns over due process and the treatment of migrant defendants.
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Among those recently executed were Pakistani nationals convicted of drug trafficking, a journalist, several young people accused of crimes committed while they were minors, and five women. Rights groups expressed alarm over the application of the death penalty in cases involving juveniles and non-violent crimes.
Saudi Arabia remains one of the world’s leading executioners, often defending capital punishment as a deterrent to serious crime under its interpretation of Islamic law. However, human rights advocates continue to urge the kingdom to halt executions, review death penalty cases, and align its justice system with international human rights standards.
(Democracy Newsline Newspaper, December 22ND 2025)
