DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has executed six Iranians for drug trafficking, according to the interior ministry, which confirmed the executions on Wednesday. These individuals were put to death in Dammam, on the Gulf coast, for illegally smuggling hashish into the country. The ministry did not specify the exact timing of the executions.
In response, Iran summoned the Saudi ambassador to formally protest the executions, describing them as a violation of international law. Tehran called the act “unacceptable” and a breach of established global norms.
The executions come as Saudi Arabia has seen a significant rise in capital punishment, with at least 338 executions carried out in 2024, marking a sharp increase from the 170 executed in 2023. This represents the highest number in decades. According to Amnesty International, this is the largest number of executions in the kingdom in recent years, surpassing the previous high of 196 in 2022.
A large portion of the executions involved individuals convicted of drug trafficking, with at least 117 people put to death for drug-related offenses in 2024. The kingdom had resumed executions for drug crimes after lifting a moratorium on the death penalty for such offenses two years ago. A highly publicized anti-drug campaign in 2023 resulted in numerous raids and arrests.
Saudi Arabia has become a significant market for captagon, a powerful stimulant produced mainly in Syria. The production surged during Syriaβs civil war, and the drug remains a major concern in the region.
Foreign nationals accounted for a significant portion of those executed in 2024, with 129 foreigners executed, including individuals from Yemen, Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, Nigeria, Jordan, and Ethiopia.
The Saudi government maintains that the death penalty is necessary to uphold public order, and it is applied only after all appeals have been exhausted. Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, severed in 2016, were restored in March 2023 following a reconciliation brokered by China.
