Saudi Arabia executes Ethiopian and Somali migrants for drug offenses

In early June 2026 Saudi authorities executed four Ethiopian migrants in the Asir region (Khamis Mushait) and Nasir, following convictions for drug‑related crimes. The Ministry of Interior reported the executions on 1 June and 3 June, adding that dozens of other Ethiopians remain on death row in Khamis Mushait prison. On 28 June, three Somali nationals were executed in Najran after a court affirmed their convictions for hashish trafficking; the men had entered Saudi Arabia as migrants from Yemen, according to their families.

Amnesty International recorded 96 executions in Saudi Arabia during the first half of 2026, 61 of them for drug offenses, including 39 foreign nationals. Ethiopia announced a diplomatic amnesty that allowed 1,665 of its citizens held in Saudi prisons to be released, with the first group of 340 returning to Addis Ababa on 24 June. Human‑rights groups continue to call for an end to capital punishment for drug‑related crimes, arguing it does not meet the threshold of the “most serious offences” under international law.