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Saudi courts are constantly adopting a strict attitude, especially in crimes related to drugs. Foreign citizens are being targeted the most. According to Amnesty International’s July 2025 report, 1816 people were hanged in Saudi Arabia from January 2014 to June 2025.
The death penalty increased in Saudi Arabia
New Delhi: The claims of curbing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia are now proving to be hollow. Even though Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had said in 2022 that now death penalty will be given only in those cases which are clearly written in the Quran, but the latest figures show that this promise was not kept.
Saudi courts are constantly adopting a strict attitude, especially in crimes related to drugs. Foreign citizens are being targeted the most. According to Amnesty International's July 2025 report, 1816 people were hanged in Saudi Arabia from January 2014 to June 2025.
How many people were hanged in 2024
Of these, 597 cases were related to crimes related to drugs. According to international human rights law, death penalty should not be given in drug cases. In 2024, 345 people were hanged, which is the highest in the last 30 years.
There is an Islamic principle called Tajir in Saudi Arabia, under which judges have the freedom to decide what kind of punishment should be given for which crime. Even if the punishment is not prescribed in the law.
How many people got death sentence under Tajir
Misusing this provision, 862 people have been sentenced to death under Tajir since 2014, which is 47.5% of the total hangings. In 2024, 122 people were hanged in drug Tajir cases, while 118 were hanged in the first 6 months of 2025.
In most drug cases, Saudi Arabia is hanging laborers from poor countries. These people remain out of reach of legal help.
Number of foreign nationals killed in drug cases in the last 10 years:
In June 2025, the UN had appealed to Saudi Arabia not to hang 26 Egyptians, but in May two of them were hanged without informing their families.
