Saudi Courts Oversee Surge In Executions For Drug Offenses

Dozens of prisoners in Saudi Arabia are facing the death penalty for drug offences, as rights groups warn of a surge in executions despite authorities' pledges to stop the punishment. 

The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) said on Thursday that there has been a sharp increase in the use of the death penalty between May and August, with executions reaching 30 by August 22.

In Tabuk General Prison alone, at least 50 people are facing execution. According to ESOHR, 34 Egyptians are among those sentenced to death in the prison, along with other foreigners, including Jordanians and Syrians.

Two Egyptian nationals, Walid al-Baqi and Youssef Khudair, were executed on August 13 on charges of smuggling marijuana and amphetamines, the rights group said. 

ESOHR also documented abuses faced by Egyptians on death row in Tabuk prison, including a lack from the Egyptian embassy in the kingdom, denial of their right to adequate defense, failure to appoint lawyers for them and instances of torture and ill-treatment.

Between 2020 and 2022, Saudi Arabia halted executions for drug offences. However, they resumed in December 2022, provoking an outcry from campaigners.

The kingdom has executed hundreds of people in recent years for various offences, including political dissent.

In 2023, a joint report by ESOHR and Reprieve revealed that Riyadh's execution rate has almost doubled since King Salman and his son, Mohammed bin Salman, came to power in 2015. Between 2015 and 2022, executions surged by 82 percent.

In February this year, seven Saudi men were killed in a mass execution, the highest number put to death in one day since 81 were killed in March 2022.

According to Reprieve, foreign nationals, including female domestic workers and drug offenders, are "disproportionately" targeted.

Despite the crown prince’s pledge in a 2018 interview to minimize executions, Saudi Arabia remains one of the world’s most prolific executioners.