Saudi Arabia has executed eight people in a single day, state media confirmed on Saturday, highlighting a sharp rise in the use of capital punishment in the kingdom, particularly for drug-related offenses.
According to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), seven of the individuals, four Somalis and three Ethiopians, were convicted of smuggling hashish and were executed in Najran, a region in the country’s south.
The eighth person, a Saudi national, was executed for the murder of his mother.
The mass execution brings the total number of people executed in Saudi Arabia so far in 2025 to at least 230, according to a tally by AFP based on official announcements.
Of these, 154 were executed for drug offences, suggesting an intensification of the kingdom’s so-called “war on drugs.”
Saudi Arabia had previously suspended the use of the death penalty for narcotics-related crimes between 2020 and 2022, but resumed executions for such cases at the end of 2022.
Since then, the number has climbed dramatically, with 19 drug-related executions in 2022, two in 2023, 117 in 2024, and already over 150 this year.
Analysts say many of the individuals executed in 2025 were arrested years earlier and are now reaching the end of lengthy legal processes.
The spike in executions appears to contradict Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform agenda, which aims to promote Saudi Arabia as an open and modern society. Human rights groups say the continued reliance on capital punishment, especially for non-violent offences ,undermines this image.
Saudi authorities maintain that executions are carried out only after all legal avenues for appeal have been exhausted and argue that the death penalty is essential for deterring serious crimes and preserving public order.
