Exploited, executed: The forgotten foreigners on Saudi Arabia's death row for drug offences

Indian Express

5 hours ago

For seven Ethiopian men and one Somali migrant, a promise of work and a meagre paycheck of just $267 (Rs 23,000) turned into a nightmare, one that now sees them awaiting execution in Saudi Arabia for drug trafficking.
Their story, one of hundreds, is a part of a harsh pattern revealed by Amnesty International, and has raised alarm over the Kingdom's 'horrifying' execution spree for drug related crimes most of them foreign nationals.
According to The Guardian, nearly 600 people have been executed in Saudi for drug offences over the last decade. Three out of four were foreigners from countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, Yemen, Syria, and Egypt. These were people who left home for opportunities and ended up facing punishment in a system Amnesty describes as 'grossly unfair' and covered in secrecy.
After a temporary halt between 2021 and 2022, executions surged once again. In 2024 alone, 122 people were put to death for drug crimes. Just halfway through 2025, the toll stands at 118. The Guardian reports that Amnesty fears the number will only climb unless global pressure forces a shift.
Dana Ahmed, Amnesty International's Middle East researcher said, 'These are people often coming from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds… They are promised a small reward, a few hundred dollars and they end up paying with their lives'.
The case of the eight East African men illustrates this exposed reality. They were caught with 153 kg of cannabis, worth an estimated 3.8 million dollars and claim in court documents they were lured into the crime by traffickers during their search for employment. With no access to proper legal aid, minimal education, and little understanding of the language or legal process, their fate was sealed in a system they could not navigate.
Amnesty's report points to a pattern of exploitation, coercion, and abuse, including accounts of torture and forced confessions during pre-trial detention. The report also mentioned that some prisoners were informed of their execution only a day in advance, leaving families with no chance to say goodbye or appeal for clemency.
Many foreign inmates reportedly had no access to interpreters or consular support, making their legal defense virtually impossible. In several documented cases, prisoners didn't even know the status of their appeals.
'Executing someone who didn't understand their own trial, or who confessed under duress, is a obvious violation of international human rights,' said Kristine Beckerle, an Amnesty deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. 'The death penalty in these cases is not just inhumane it's fundamentally unjust.'
Saudi Arabia maintains some of the world's harshest drug laws including capital punishment for non-violent offences. Yet rights groups argued that these laws disproportionately target migrant workers, the very people with the least power to defend themselves.
As the world watches geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and continues to engage with Saudi Arabia economically and diplomatically, calls to hold the kingdom accountable on human rights issues have faded. But Amnesty is urging the international community not to turn a blind eye.
'These executions don't just represent numbers, they represent human lives many of which could have been saved with fair trials, proper legal aid, and compassion,' says Beckerle.