Ethiopian migrants face death‑row sentences in Saudi Arabia

Human‑rights groups report that roughly 60 Ethiopian migrants are confined on death row at Khamis Mushait prison in southwestern Saudi Arabia, all convicted on drug‑related charges. The prisoners, many of whom fled Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict and passed through Yemen, say they were arrested after hashish was found in their vehicle and were denied legal representation, interpretation and the right to appeal.

Rights advocates say the cases exemplify a broader pattern of Saudi authorities targeting vulnerable migrants, with 356 executions recorded last year – the highest in recent history – and 240 of those for drug offenses, most of them foreigners. Ethiopians constitute the largest foreign group among those sentenced to death for non‑lethal drug crimes.

Lawyer Taha al‑Hajji warns that Saudi capital trials often fail basic fairness standards, citing torture‑derived confessions and lack of counsel. Relatives of the detainees are appealing for international pressure on the Saudi government to reconsider the death sentences.