What changed
2026-08-01 07:58 UTC → 2026-08-02 17:42 UTC ·
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In late June 2026 After Saudi Arabia announced 100 executions for drug offences, most involving foreigners, ending lifted a three‑year moratorium. Amnesty International and other groups criticised the lack moratorium on capital punishment in June 2026, dozens of fair trials. By mid‑year the death‑penalty tally rose Ethiopians have been sentenced to death for drug‑related offences. By late July, at least 116, with 61 drug‑related deaths 17 Ethiopian nationals had been executed, and 39 foreign nationals, chiefly Ethiopians. Ethiopia secured a diplomatic amnesty for over 1,600 citizens, but rights groups reported that many more remain detained. on death row in Khamis Mushait prison, often without legal representation or translation. In July 2026 Saudi authorities executed five Ethiopian migrants from the Tigray region for alleged hashish possession. early August, Human Rights Watch documented that the men were tried in minutes without lawyers or translators. Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said it was in close contact with Saudi officials, while the Ethiopian Orthodox Church appealed deplorable conditions for clemency. Later in July, Ethiopian prisoners migrants on death row at the Khamis Mushait prison reported awaiting execution for up to three years, with estimates that as many as 200 Ethiopians face the same fate. Rights groups note that trials lack basic safeguards, including legal representation and proper translation. On 31 July, the Saudi Interior Ministry confirmed the execution of five Ethiopian nationals detention centre in the Asir region after convictions for hashish smuggling. The men’s names were released, and officials province. Prisoners said they had been tried by guards routinely select inmates for execution; a specialised narcotics court, appealed through higher courts recent episode saw five men removed from their cells and received a final royal order. The executions brought the total number of Ethiopians put to death in Saudi Arabia in executed the first seven months of 2026 to 17, with five carried out on following morning. Inmates such as 27‑year‑old Berhane Hagos expressed hopelessness, while a single Monday. Prisoners contacting fellow detainee recounted the BBC described harsh conditions, lack last words of legal representation and language barriers. UK bishops have petitioned former Labour leader Ed Miliband his cell‑mate Teklay Negash to intervene on behalf his family. Families of Christian the detainees, but Saudi authorities have not responded. International NGOs continue to call for urgent intervention and an end to many who travelled through Yemen from Tigray, describe severe emotional distress. The report highlights broader concerns about the use of the death penalty for drug‑related offences. on migrant workers and the opacity of Saudi Arabia’s criminal‑justice system.