Saudi Arabia's tally of executions has climbed to a new high for the second year in a row, driven largely by an intensified anti-drug campaign. The kingdom put 356 people to death in 2025, according to official figures compiled by AFP, surpassing the 338 executions recorded in 2024. Of those killed last year, 243 were convicted in drug-linked cases—many arrested years ago who had reached the end of their legal appeals, per the Guardian. The spike follows Saudi Arabia's decision in late 2022 to resume executions for narcotics offenses after a roughly three-year halt.
The crackdown is unfolding against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia's campaign against the stimulant fenethylline, sold as Captagon. Authorities have ramped up checkpoints on highways and at border crossings, seizing millions of pills and arresting dozens of alleged traffickers. Rights groups say foreigners make up the majority of those executed in drug cases.
Critics argue the rising execution numbers undercut Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 program, which aims to showcase a more open society while drawing tourists and major sporting events, including the 2034 World Cup soccer tournament. A rep from the human rights group Alqst says the updated stats "[underscore] a grim disregard for the right to life and repeated calls from UN experts and civil society," per the Middle East Eye.
"Saudi Arabia is operating with complete impunity now," a rep from the legal action NGO Reprieve adds, per the BBC. Saudi officials maintain that the death penalty is applied only after all appeals have been pursued and is essential to preserving public order, per the Guardian. Amnesty International, which has tracked executions in the kingdom since 1990, says incomplete data from earlier decades makes it difficult to compare the current record with Saudi Arabia's more distant past.
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