Saudi Arabia Executes Record 356 People in 2025 Amid Intensified 'War on Drugs' Crackdown

Saudi Arabia carried out a record 356 executions in 2025, up from 338 in 2024, according to tallies compiled by AFP and human-rights monitors.

“Since launching a “war on drugs,” Saudi Arabia has stepped up highway and border checkpoints, seizing millions of pills and arresting dozens of suspected traffickers — with foreigners reportedly disproportionately affected”

CP24

Multiple reports say Riyadh attributes much of the rise to an intensified campaign against drugs, and those reports cite official figures showing 243 of the 2025 executions were for drug-related offences.

CP24

The surge continues a recent upward trend and has prompted renewed international attention on Saudi Arabia's use of the death penalty.

Most outlets link the surge to a stepped-up anti-narcotics campaign that Riyadh resumed in late 2022, often described as a 'war on drugs'.

Reports describe intensified policing — including more highway and border checkpoints, large seizures of illicit pills (notably Captagon), and mass arrests — and note that many of those executed were convicted on drug charges.

Daily Mail

Saudi authorities have defended the measures as law enforcement and public-order efforts.

Human-rights groups and watchdogs strongly criticized the year’s execution toll, arguing the expanded use of capital punishment — especially for drug offences and predominantly affecting foreign nationals — undermines international norms and Saudi efforts to project a modern image.

“Recent reports say recent punishments in Saudi Arabia included five women”

Daily Star

NGOs and monitors cited in coverage called attention to alleged forced confessions, lengthy delays between arrest and execution, and the disproportionate impact on migrants.

Saudi officials counter that capital punishment is imposed following appeals and is necessary for public order.

Coverage differed in how far it linked the executions to political repression and minority targeting.

Some outlets noted allegations that the death penalty has also been applied to political dissenters and members of the Shi’a minority, while the primary framing in most reports remained the anti‑narcotics campaign.

Dawan Africa

That divergence shapes whether reporting reads mainly as criminal-justice coverage (seizures, checkpoints, drug prosecutions) or as human-rights and political analysis (due process, political prisoners, minority targeting).

Critics say the spike in executions undermines Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 modernization drive and damages its international human-rights standing.

“Saudi Arabia resumed carrying out executions for narcotics offenses at the end of 2022 after about a three-year pause”

Dhaka Tribune

Officials argue the measures are legally justified and necessary for public safety.

Dhaka Tribune

Coverage noted the record executions come as Riyadh deepens diplomatic and economic ties abroad, which some analysts say could bring heightened scrutiny.