- 79 more await execution
Saudi Arabian authorities have executed at least 17 Ethiopian nationals over non-lethal drug-related offenses since the start of 2026, including five migrants put to death on a single day this week, while at least 79 others remain at imminent risk of execution, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.
In a report released yesterday, HRW said Saudi authorities executed five Ethiopian migrants on 27 July after convicting them of allegedly smuggling hashish. The rights organization argued that the proceedings failed to meet international fair trial standards, alleging the men were denied legal representation, adequate translation, and a meaningful opportunity to defend themselves.
HRW said all five men were from Ethiopia's Tigray region and had fled the aftermath of the 2020-2022 conflict before traveling through Yemen in search of work. According to the organization, they were recruited by an intermediary who asked them to carry a package without revealing its contents before they were arrested after unknowingly crossing into Saudi Arabia.
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The men were reportedly held for more than three years at Khamis Mushait detention facility in Saudi Arabia's Asir Province, where they were allegedly forced to sign Arabic-language documents they could not understand and appeared in only three court sessions lasting between three and 20 minutes, two of them conducted remotely.
Arabs & Middle Easterners "Saudi authorities are executing marginalized Ethiopian migrants after court hearings that sometimes barely last a few minutes without a lawyer or a translator," said Joey Shea, senior Saudi Arabia researcher at HRW. "Dozens of vulnerable migrants remain at risk of imminent execution after trials that were barely trials at all."
HRW said Saudi authorities had also executed five Ethiopian nationals on 23 June on similar charges of hashish smuggling. The organization said one of those men had been coerced into transporting qat, a stimulant plant widely used in parts of Ethiopia and Yemen but prohibited in Saudi Arabia, as a condition for facilitating his journey.
According to HRW, the 17 Ethiopian executions this year form part of a broader rise in the kingdom's use of capital punishment. Citing the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, the report said Saudi Arabia had carried out at least 116 executions as of 27 July 2026.
Discover moreArabs & Middle EasternersPrisons & CorrectionsMagazinesDemographicsdrugHistoryMilitaryAfricans & DiasporaNewspapersDrugs & Medications The organization reiterated its opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances, arguing that executions for non-lethal drug offenses violate international human rights law, which limits capital punishment to the "most serious crimes" involving intentional killing.
Prisons & Corrections HRW urged Saudi Arabia to halt the executions, review the death sentences, and ensure fair legal proceedings for those convicted. It also called on the Ethiopian government to urgently engage Saudi authorities, provide immediate consular assistance to Ethiopian nationals facing execution, and seek commutation of their death sentences.
Growing concerns are mounting in Ethiopia over the severe treatment of its migrants and detainees in Saudi Arabia, amid alarming reports of executions, death sentences, and rapidly deteriorating conditions. The crisis has drawn urgent attention from the country's major religious institutions, who are demanding immediate international and government intervention to safeguard the lives of vulnerable citizens trapped abroad.
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The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, following its General Assembly in May 2026, issued a powerful call to both Ethiopian authorities and the international community to uphold "human rights, mercy, and justice." The Synod strongly urged coordinated efforts to defend the rights and dignity of overseas Ethiopians, specifically highlighting the ongoing detentions, executions, and targeted attacks facing migrants in Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
Compounding these appeals, the Ethiopian Catholic Bishops released a pastoral message in late May 2026, directly petitioning the Saudi government to halt the execution of Ethiopian nationals, warning that hundreds remain at risk of death sentences. The Bishops emphasized that the suffering of these migrants, who frequently endure abuse, human trafficking, and forced labor across the Gulf states, goes far beyond mere statistics, representing a profound humanitarian crisis for individuals simply seeking better opportunities.
