Saudi Arabia
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 9
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 41
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · Executions are carried out in public with a sword
- News items in the archive
- 1,841
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Saudi Arabia is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 9 executions in the country, against 41 the year before. The archive holds 1,841 news items on Saudi Arabia, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
- OCTOBER 17, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: PRINCE EXECUTED FOR MURDER
Saudi Arabia executed a member of the royal family for murder.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: THREE PRISONERS EXECUTED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING, MURDER
three prisoners were executed in Saudi Arabia for drug trafficking and murder.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: ETHIOPIAN EXECUTED FOR MURDERING A CHILD
Saudi Arabia executed an Ethiopian woman convicted of killing a Saudi child, the interior ministry said.
AUGUST 2, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: SAUDI NATIONAL SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CREATING UNREST IN SAUDI ARABIA AND BAHRAIN
A Saudi national was sentenced to death for attacking the general court at the Governorate of Al-Qatif four years ago.
JULY 31, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: BANGLADESHI MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING COMPATRIOT EXECUTED IN JEDDAH
A Bangladeshi expatriate was executed in the Governorate of Jeddah for killing a compatriot during a
- JULY 27, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: DEATH PENALTY ISSUED FOR SHIITE MINOR
The Specialised Criminal Court in Saudi Arabia issued its initial judgement, in which a death penalty sentence
- JULY 27, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: FILIPINO DRIVER WAS SAVED FROM DEATH ROW BY TWO SAUDI MILLIONAIRES
Two Saudi millionaires has donated SR225,000 (Php2.8 million) to pay the blood money (diya) for a
JULY 25, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: TWO MURDER CONVICTS EXECUTED
Saudi Arabia executed two convicted murderers, the interior ministry said, raising to 107 the number of death sentences carried out in the kingdom this year.
- JULY 24, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: FOUR CITIZENS CONVICTED OF MURDER EXECUTED
Saudi authorities executed four citizens convicted of killing six members of their tribe, the interior ministry said.
- JULY 20, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA CARRIES OUT 99TH EXECUTION OF THE YEAR
Saudi authorities carried out the 99th execution of the 2016 in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, putting a man to death for murder.
- JULY 19, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: PAKISTANI, ARAB EXECUTED AS TOTAL BEHEADINGS THIS YEAR NEAR 100
Saudi authorities executed two men, bringing to 98 the number of executions carried out in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom so far this year.
- JULY 17, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: FIRST EXECUTION SINCE RAMADAN
Saudi authorities executed a murderer in the holy city of Mecca, the first death sentence to be carried out
JUNE 1, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: 14 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TERRORISM
A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced to death 14 of its citizens for terrorism in the Shi'ite Muslim minority
- MAY 29, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: NIGERIAN MAN PUT TO DEATH IN 95TH EXECUTION OF THE YEAR
Saudi authorities executed a Nigerian man after convicting him of murdering a police officer.
- MAY 24, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI COURT HANDS DEATH SENTENCE TO MAN CONVICTED OF 2004 ATTACK ON SWISS FIRM
A man has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for killing six Westerners and a Saudi soldier in an al
- MAY 24, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: SAUDI MAN EXECUTED FOR MURDER
Saudi Arabia put to death a citizen in Riyadh, bringing to 94 the number of executions in the kingdom in
- MAY 24, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: THREE SAUDIS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR BURYING FIVE INDIAN WORKERS ALIVE
The General Court in Al-Taif sentenced three Saudi nationals to death in connection with the mass grave
- MAY 17, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: PAKISTANI DRUG SMUGGLER EXECUTED
Saudi Arabia put to death a Pakistani man convicted of drug smuggling, bringing to 93 the number of
- MAY 16, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: VICTIM’S KIN PARDON KILLER AT PRINCE’S REQUEST
The relatives of an Asian man who was killed by a Saudi during a fight in the Gulf kingdom agreed to
- MAY 10, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: 92ND EXECUTION OF YEAR
Saudi national Mohsen al-Dosari was executed for stabbing to death another Saudi man following a dispute,
MAY 5, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: JORDANIAN DRUG SMUGGLER EXECUTED
Saudi Arabia put to death a Jordanian convicted of drug trafficking, in the kingdom’s 91st execution this year.
- MAY 4, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA CARRIES OUT 90TH EXECUTION OF YEAR
Saudi Arabia beheaded a citizen convicted of murder taking the number of people executed in the Kingdom
- MAY 1, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: MURDERER EXECUTED IN JEDDAH
Saudi Arabia executed a citizen convicted of murder, taking to 89 the number of death sentences carried
- APRIL 26, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: SYRIAN MURDER CONVICT EXECUTED
Saudi Arabia executed a Syrian murder convict, bringing to 87 the number of people put to death in the
APRIL 21, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: PAKISTANI MAN EXECUTED OVER DRUGS
Saudi Arabia executed a Pakistani national for smuggling drugs, taking to 86 the number of people the ultra-conservative kingdom has put to death this year.
APRIL 20, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: CITIZEN EXECUTED FOR MURDER
Saudi Arabia executed a citizen for murder, bringing to 85 the number of people the ultra-conservative
- APRIL 4, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: TWO CITIZENS EXECUTED FOR MURDER
Saudi Arabia executed two citizens for murder, raising to 84 the number of death sentences the kingdom has carried out so far this year.
- MARCH 31, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: CITIZEN EXECUTED FOR MURDER
Saudi Arabia executed a citizen convicted of the murder of a compatriot, raising to 82 the number of death
- MARCH 30, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: TWO CITIZENS EXECUTED FOR MURDER
Saudi Arabia executed two citizens convicted of murder, raising to 81 the number of death sentences
- MARCH 27, 2016Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA: PAKISTANI EXECUTED FOR KILLING BANGLADESHI WOMAN
Saudi authorities executed a Pakistani convicted of killing a Bangladeshi woman, raising to 79 the number of