A total of 347 people were executed in Saudi Arabia in 2024, according to a report published by the British organization Reprieve, which monitors executions in the country annually. This is the highest number ever recorded in a single year in Saudi Arabia and marks the second consecutive year in which the execution record has been broken.
The report notes that in 2023, the number of executions stood at 345. “This was the bloodiest year of executions in the kingdom since monitoring began,” the document states.
The data show that two-thirds of the cases involved drug offenses-not lethal crimes. More than half of those executed were foreign nationals convicted of such offenses.
The United Nations condemned the practice, arguing that executions for drug-related crimes are inconsistent with international norms and standards. Jeed Basyouni, head of the death penalty department for the Middle East and North Africa at Reprieve, told the British newspaper The Guardian: “Saudi Arabia is now operating with complete impunity for its actions. It almost makes a mockery of the human rights system. Torture and forced confessions are routine in the Saudi criminal justice system. This is cruel and arbitrary repression, in which innocent people and those on the margins of society are caught.”
She added: “It seems they almost don’t care whom they execute, as long as they signal to society that there is a zero-tolerance policy on whatever issue they choose to emphasize-whether protests, freedom of expression, or drugs.” She further noted that 96 of the recorded cases were related solely to cannabis.