Saudi Arabia has executed three Ethiopian nationals for nonlethal drug-related offenses, with at least 65 others facing imminent execution, Human Rights Watch said.
The rights group cited accounts from informed sources indicating that the three men, detained in Khamis Mushait prison in the Asir region, were convicted of smuggling khat, a mild stimulant banned in Saudi Arabia but widely used in parts of East Africa and Yemen. The men were reportedly arrested between 2023 and 2024 after entering the country via Yemen in search of work.
According to the sources, the detainees—who said they fled the conflict in northern Ethiopia—underwent brief court proceedings without legal representation or translators and were not informed of the charges against them. They were allegedly beaten and forced to sign documents they did not understand before being sentenced to death.
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Saudi authorities confirmed the executions on April 21, stating the men were punished for smuggling hashish. Fellow detainees were later informed of the executions, triggering panic among other prisoners awaiting similar sentences.
The detainees have not received any visitors since the start of their detention and have not had any communication with Ethiopian consular officials.
Human Rights Watch said around 65 Ethiopian men remain on death row in the same facility for drug-related offenses, with reports suggesting the total number of Ethiopians awaiting the death penalty in Khamis Mushait in the prison could exceed 200, though this could not be independently verified.
The right groups criticized Saudi Arabia’s use of capital punishment for nonviolent crimes, saying it violates international human rights standards that restrict the death penalty to the “most serious crimes.”
In 2025, nonlethal drug offenses accounted for a majority of executions in Saudi Arabia, according to rights groups. The United Nations has also condemned the practice, urging authorities to halt such executions and review existing death sentences.
Saudi authorities have twice set a new record for the highest number of executions in one year since monitoring began, with 345 executions in 2024 and 356 in 2025.
Human Rights Watch called on Saudi Arabia to commute the sentences and urged the Ethiopian government to intervene to ensure consular support for its citizens.
