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
- 1,878
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 1,878 news items on Saudi Arabia, from 1999 to today.
In Saudi Arabia the death penalty applies to murder, drug offences, terrorism and certain offences under sharia law. The usual method is beheading, in some cases carried out in public. Executions are often announced in groups by the official press agency and a significant share of them involve foreign nationals.
The system of diya, the compensation a victim's family may accept in place of an execution, leaves some sentences reversible until the last moment. The archive gathers official announcements, individual cases and the campaigns to stop them.
Latest news
- APRIL 18, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. EGYPTIAN BEHEADED FOR RAPE, MURDER
Saudi Arabia executed Emad al-Wakil, an Egyptian man, for raping and killing a woman, the country’s interior ministry said.
- APRIL 17, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. MAN BEHEADED FOR KILLING TWO INDIANS, PAKISTANI
Saudi Arabia executed Abdul-Rahman bin Sultan al-Otaibi
- APRIL 10, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudis execute six men without sentence
Abshir Hassan, a 29 year old London man, accused Saudi Arabia of executing his brother, Abdul Fattah, and five other Somalis on April 1 without ever telling them that they had been condemned to death.
- APRIL 8, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. SAUDANESE NATIONAL BEHEADED FOR HASHISH SMUGGLING
a Sudanese man was beheaded in public after being convicted of trying to smuggle hashish into Saudi Arabia, the Interior Ministry said.
- APRIL 8, 2005SomaliaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CONCERNED OVER EXECUTION OF FOREIGNERS
Amnesty International bitterly commented the execution of foreigners in Saudi Arabia
APRIL 4, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA. SIX SOMALI NATIONALS EXECUTED
Saudi Arabia executed a gang of six Somali men convicted of abducting and robbing taxi drivers in the Red Sea port of Jeddah. The six men had lured taxi drivers to a remote spot where they hit them and threatened them with knives before robbing them and t
- APRIL 1, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. FOUR MEN EXECUTED FOR MURDER
Saudi Arabia executed three Saudis for killing local officials and security forces in the north of the kingdom, the country’s Interior Ministry said.
- MARCH 30, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. CHINA AND UNITED STATES URGED TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY
the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament voted in favour of the 2004 Annual Report on Human Rights. Simon Coveney MEP EPP-ED presented the report to the Committee as Rapporteur.
MARCH 21, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA. MAN BEHEADED FOR MURDER, SORCERY
Saudi national Zayed bin Ali bin Saleh al-Thabiti al-Maliki was executed for murdering a compatriot and having illicit sex with women, the Saudi Interior Ministry said. Al-Maliki was executed in Taif, a city in the Western part of the country.
- MARCH 15, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. GOVERNMENT REGRETS SAUDI BEHEADINGS
the Philippines said it regretted the beheadings of four Filipinos convicted of murdering a compatriot in Saudi Arabia, but had no complaints about the conduct of the trial.
MARCH 14, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA. FOUR FILIPINOS BEHEADED FOR MURDERING COMPATRIOT
four Filipinos convicted of murdering a compatriot were beheaded by the sword in the western Saudi city of Taef. Miguel Fernandez, Sergio Aldana, Wilfredo Batista and Antonio Alviza were convicted of murdering Jaimie de la Cruz.
- MARCH 13, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. TWO GAY LOVERS EXECUTED FOR MURDER OF PAKISTANI
Saudi Arabia executed two men who beat to death a Pakistani to stop him exposing their "shameful" homosexual relationship, the country’s Interior Ministry said. It said Ahmed al-Enezi and Shahir al-Roubli, both Saudis, ran over Malik Khan in their car, be
- MARCH 10, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIA. END TO BEHEADING OF NATIONALS IN SAUDI ARABIA URGED
the Gandheeya Navasakthi Sanghom party urged the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, to take immediate steps to end the beheading of Indian citizens by the Saudi Arabian authorities on charges of drug trafficking.
- MARCH 7, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER PUBLICLY BEHEADED
Saudi Arabia executed a convicted Saudi murderer in the southwestern al-Baha region
- MARCH 6, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. INDIAN NATIONAL BEHEADED FOR MURDER
Malaya Maroti Bajantra, an Indian man convicted of murdering his compatriot, was beheaded in the Hafar al-Batin town in Saudi Arabia. Bajantra killed Hakim Ahmed Pasha and robbed him, said a report by the country's Interior Ministry.
- FEBRUARY 22, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Ahmed bin Ali al-Qahtani was beheaded
Saudi Ahmed bin Ali al-Qahtani was beheaded
- FEBRUARY 22, 2005IndiaDEATH PENALTY
Indian national Sayyid Elwy, convicted of smuggling...
Indian national Sayyid Elwy, convicted of smuggling...
- FEBRUARY 21, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabia executed a Pakistani man
Saudi Arabia executed a Pakistani man
- FEBRUARY 14, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabia executed a convicted child rapist in the eastern Taif province
Saudi Arabia executed a convicted child rapist in the eastern Taif province
- FEBRUARY 14, 2005PakistanDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabia executed a drug smuggler
Saudi Arabia executed a drug smuggler
- FEBRUARY 12, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. AFGHANI EXECUTED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
an Afghani convicted of drug trafficking was beheaded by the sword in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, the Saudi interior ministry said.
- FEBRUARY 8, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
A Thai national convicted of drug trafficking, was beheaded in the city of Jeddah
Absheet Juntkam, a Thai national convicted of drug trafficking, was beheaded in the Red Sea city of Jeddah
- FEBRUARY 7, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabia executed a Saudi woman
Saudi Arabia executed a Saudi woman for murdering her mother-in-law
- FEBRUARY 6, 2005PakistanDEATH PENALTY
Two Pakistanis who swallowed drugs to smuggle them into Saudi Arabia were executed
Two Pakistanis who swallowed drugs to smuggle them into Saudi Arabia were executed in Mecca
- FEBRUARY 5, 2005IndiaDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabia executed an Indian convicted of murder in the southern region of Aseer
Indian national Gotham Krishna was sentenced to death for setting light to a fellow Indian in his sleep because of a dispute between them, the ministry said in a statement.
- FEBRUARY 1, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
a Saudi man convicted of murdering a compatriot was beheaded
a Saudi man convicted of murdering a compatriot was beheaded
- JANUARY 31, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Two Pakistanis were beheaded on in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Two Pakistanis were beheaded on in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after being convicted of drug trafficking
- JANUARY 12, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
the Thai Ministry of Labour announced that two Thai nationals had recently been executed in Saudi Arabia
the Thai Ministry of Labour announced that two Thai nationals had recently been executed in Saudi Arabia
- JANUARY 10, 2005PakistanDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabian authorities beheaded three foreign drug traffickers
Saudi Arabian authorities beheaded three foreign drug traffickers in the holy city of Mecca
- JANUARY 3, 2005Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
Saleh bin Awadh bin Saleh al-Harithi was executed
Saleh bin Awadh bin Saleh al-Harithi was executed