Zim GBC News | International Desk
RIYADH – Saudi Arabia carried out a record 356 executions in 2025, the highest annual number in the kingdom’s modern history, with 243 of those put to death for drug-related offences, according to new figures highlighting Riyadh’s intensified “war on drugs.”
The total marks a significant increase from the 338 executions recorded in 2024, continuing a grim upward trend. Many of those executed had been arrested in prior years, facing drawn-out legal proceedings before their sentences were carried out.
The spike coincides with a widespread crackdown on narcotics. Authorities have ramped up highway and border checkpoints, leading to the seizure of millions of Captagon pills—a stimulant widely trafficked from Syria—and the arrest of dozens of alleged traffickers. Reports indicate that the majority of those executed for drug crimes are foreign nationals.
Human rights groups have fiercely criticized the kingdom’s escalating use of capital punishment. Critics argue that the practice is excessive and clashes directly with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform agenda, which aims to project a modern and tolerant image to the world.
As noted by international observers, these continued executions are seen as undermining the kingdom’s public relations reforms. Rights organizations slam the policy, stating that drug offences do not meet the international legal threshold of “most serious crimes” for which the death penalty should be reserved.
Saudi officials, however, staunchly defend the policy as a necessary tool for maintaining public order and safety. They insist that all legal appeals are exhausted and judicial processes are fully completed before any execution is carried out.
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