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Report: Saudi Arabia Executes Record 356 People in 2025
Drug-related executions accounted for 69% of the 356 deaths in Saudi Arabia in 2025, marking a second year of record-high capital punishment amid a strict anti-narcotics campaign.
- In 2025, Saudi Arabia carried out 356 executions, the highest annual total on record, Agence France-Presse and human rights monitoring groups reported.
- After reinstating drug executions in late 2022, the government expanded checkpoints and seizures amid an intensified war on drugs, analysts link this to the surge in prosecutions and executions.
- Official data show 243 executions were linked to drug-related offences, foreign nationals made up 57% of those executed, and hashish-related cases rose to 97 in 2025.
- Human rights groups condemned the surge as disproportionate and incompatible with international norms, while Saudi authorities defended the death penalty as necessary and said sentences follow completed judicial appeals.
- The surge contradicts Vision 2030 reform narratives and risks undermining the kingdom’s modernization image, while observers warn it complicates relations with investors and international partners and heightens scrutiny.
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58 Articles
58 Articles
The United States and Saudi Arabia saw an increase in executions in 2025. The United States carried out 47 executions, the most since 2009. Saudi Arabia executed 356 people.
In 2025, unprecedented processes began in Saudi Arabia: according to official data, the practice of capital punishment took a dramatic turn, sparking serious international debate.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources58
Leaning Left13Leaning Right10Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution41% Left
Bias Distribution
- 41% of the sources lean Left
41% Left
L 41%
C 28%
R 31%
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