Saudi Arabia has executed over 100 foreign nationals in 2024, marking a significant surge in executions, according to an AFP tally released on Sunday.
The most recent execution occurred on Saturday in Najran, a region in southwestern Saudi Arabia, where a Yemeni national was executed for drug smuggling, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency.
This brings the total number of foreign nationals executed this year to 101, based on state media reports. This figure nearly triples the 34 foreign executions recorded in both 2023 and 2022, according to AFP's data.
The European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR), based in Berlin, highlighted the alarming trend.
“This is the largest number of executions of foreigners in one year. Saudi Arabia has never executed 100 foreigners in a year,” said Taha al-Hajji, the group’s legal director.
Saudi Arabia has long faced international criticism for its frequent use of the death penalty. Rights groups argue that such practices clash with efforts to improve its global image and attract tourists and investors.
According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia ranked third globally in 2023 for the number of executions, following China and Iran.
In September, AFP reported that the kingdom had surpassed its previous annual execution records, including 196 executions in 2022 and 192 in 1995. As of Sunday, the total number of executions in 2024 had reached 274.
Foreign nationals executed this year include 21 Pakistanis, 20 Yemenis, 14 Syrians, 10 Nigerians, nine Egyptians, eight Jordanians, and seven Ethiopians, according to AFP. Others executed include three each from Sudan, India, and Afghanistan, and one each from Sri Lanka, Eritrea, and the Philippines.