Saudi Arabia Faces Growing Criticism Over Death Penalty for Drug Offenses

Saudi Arabia’s Escalating Executions for Drug Offenses Raise International Concern

Saudi Arabia is executing people at an unprecedented rate, with many facing death sentences for drug offenses that would result in far lesser punishments in other countries, including the United States.

A troubling report from Amnesty International reveals that 345 people were executed in Saudi Arabia during 2024, the highest number documented in more than three decades. The concerning trend shows no signs of slowing, as 180 additional people were put to death between January and June 2025, including 46 executions in June alone. Most of these recent cases involved individuals convicted of drug-related crimes.

According to an investigation by The New York Times, approximately two-thirds of those executed this year were convicted of smuggling or transporting amphetamines—offenses that involve no violence. Human rights organizations have highlighted that many of the accused are vulnerable foreign nationals from countries like Egypt, Ethiopia, and Somalia, typically impoverished laborers or fishermen who were coerced or deceived into carrying drugs across borders.

One such case involves Egyptian fisherman Issam Shazley, who reportedly told his family in a recording that he was forced at gunpoint to transport pills across the Red Sea. Despite his claims of coercion, Shazley now awaits execution on death row, according to the Times.

The United Nations and international human rights monitors have repeatedly called on Saudi authorities to halt executions for non-violent crimes. However, the Kingdom continues to enforce death sentences under its stringent domestic anti-narcotics legislation, maintaining that such measures are necessary to combat drug trafficking.

The contrast with the United States’ approach to similar offenses is striking. While drug smuggling and trafficking are serious federal crimes in America, the penalties are based on the quantity and type of drugs involved, not capital punishment.

Data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission indicates that the average federal prison sentence for drug trafficking is approximately 82 months—roughly 6.8 years. Federal mandatory minimums typically range from five to ten years, depending on factors such as the specific substance involved (heroin, methamphetamine, etc.) and whether the offender has prior convictions.

Despite these more moderate penalties, U.S. law enforcement agencies continue to intercept substantial quantities of narcotics at the nation’s borders. In 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs and Border Protection reported seizing over 280,000 pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl entering primarily from Mexico and other points along the southern border.

According to DEA reports, most of these interceptions don’t involve major cartel operations but rather individual couriers or small-scale networks concealing drugs inside vehicles, cargo shipments, or shipping containers—situations potentially similar to those faced by many of the foreign nationals executed in Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom’s approach has sparked fierce debate in international forums. Human rights advocates argue that Saudi Arabia’s use of capital punishment for non-violent drug offenses violates international norms and standards. Many point to international human rights conventions that explicitly prohibit the death penalty for crimes that don’t involve intentional killing.

Saudi officials, meanwhile, defend their strict enforcement as part of a comprehensive strategy to deter narcotics trafficking in the region, which they characterize as a serious threat to public health and social stability.

In the United States, the debate takes a different form, focusing on sentencing reform and the balance between punishment for drug crimes and rehabilitation. This conversation has intensified as synthetic opioids continue to drive record overdose deaths across America, pushing policymakers to reconsider effective approaches to drug policy.

As Saudi Arabia’s execution rate continues to climb, international pressure is likely to mount on the Kingdom to reconsider its approach to drug-related offenses and align more closely with global human rights standards regarding capital punishment.