On May 11, 2024, Saudi Arabia executed two Syrian citizens on charges related to drugs. According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior published by the official news agency, both Emad Mahmoud Hussein and Mustafa Mahmoud Hussein were accused of smuggling banned amphetamine pills.
The last death sentence for drug-related charges was executed in August 2023, where a Pakistani citizen was killed. Additionally, Saudi Arabia executed the Jordanian citizen Hussein Abu al-Khair in March 2023, despite his case involving serious violations. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention deemed Abu al-Khair's arrest and death sentence arbitrary.
The file of executing detainees on drug-related charges is among the most prominent files that confirm the arbitrariness, inconsistency, and lack of trust in Saudi Arabia's official promises and the reforms promoted in recent years. In January 2021, the official Saudi Human Rights Commission issued a statement indicating that the halt of executions in drug-related cases, which began in January 2020, aimed to give detainees accused of non-violent crimes a second chance. Additionally, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman affirmed in March 2022 that the death penalty is now limited to murder cases.
However, on November 10, 2022, Saudi Arabia resumed executing death sentences in drug-related cases, carrying out 20 sentences within one month. Due to the lack of transparency, it is impossible to know the exact number of individuals in the death rows sentenced for drug-related offenses in Saudi Arabia. It is likely that hundreds of cases, particularly those involving foreign nationals, have not been tracked.
In May 2023, Saudi Arabia launched a widespread campaign against drugs. Information provided to the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights indicated arbitrary arrests and severe violations targeting individuals involved in drug use and trafficking. This included dire conditions in detention facilities and deprivation of basic rights, such as communication with the outside world and the right to self-defense. With no possibility of tracking cases, it is likely that trials resulting in death sentences for serious violations were also concealed.
ESOHR considers the execution of Syrian citizens on drug-related charges as adding to the incidents documented since the beginning of 2024. This serves as an indication of another bloody year in Saudi Arabia. Since the start of the year until May 13, 65 individuals have been executed. Additionally, there have been updates regarding the cases of those sentenced to death, which the organization continues to monitor.
ESOHR views Saudi Arabia's return to executing death sentences in drug-related cases as a reaffirmation of its commitment to using the death penalty regardless of any promises or commitments made. Reliance on such assurances cannot be trusted.