Ethiopian migrants on death row face harsh conditions in Saudi detention centre

Dozens of Ethiopian migrants sentenced to death are being held in deplorable conditions at the Khamis Mushait detention centre in Saudi Arabia’s Asir province. Prisoners report that guards regularly select inmates for execution, describing a recent incident where five men were taken from their cells and executed the following morning.

In interviews, 27‑year‑old Berhane Hagos said, “We have lost all hope. Every day the guards come, we think we are closer to death.” Another inmate, using a pseudonym, recounted the night before the execution of his cell‑mate Teklay Negash, who told his family, “Tell them I have been executed.” Families of the detainees, many of whom migrated through Yemen from Ethiopia’s Tigray region, say the situation has caused severe emotional distress. The incidents were highlighted in a report by Human Rights Watch.

The case underscores broader concerns about the use of the death penalty on migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and the lack of transparency in the country’s criminal justice system.