On 10 July 2025, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior announced the execution of two Ethiopian nationals convicted of drug trafficking.[1][2] The men, Khalil Qasim Muhammad Omar and Murad Yakub Adam Siyo, had been found guilty of smuggling hashish, a cannabis resin, into the kingdom.[1][2]
A court confirmed the death sentences
The ministry said the pair were referred to a competent court, which confirmed the charges and sentenced them to death.[2] Saudi law makes drug smuggling punishable by death, and both men were put to death on the hashish charge.[1][2]
Foreign executions passed 100 by July
The two deaths brought the year’s total to 189 executions, of which 88 were Saudi citizens and more than 100 were foreigners, according to an Agence France-Presse tally.[1][2] In 2024 the 100-foreigner mark had only been reached in November.[2] Amnesty International condemned the surge, with its Middle East deputy director Kristine Beckerle calling it a horrifying trend of foreign nationals put to death for crimes that should never carry the death penalty.[2]