Key facts
- Ethiopian inmates on death row in Saudi Arabia have contacted the BBC Tigrinya service from prison phones.
- Prisoners allege they were convicted of drug smuggling offenses without adequate legal representation or understanding of the charges.
- Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have criticized Saudi Arabia's judicial process for drug-related offenses, citing lack of due process and transparency.
- The number of Ethiopians executed in Saudi Arabia has risen sharply, with 17 in the first seven months of the year, compared to 35 in all of 2025.
- Ethiopian government officials have met with Saudi counterparts to discuss the welfare of Ethiopian citizens facing difficult circumstances.
Death row inmates in Saudi Arabia, primarily Ethiopians, have reached out to the BBC Tigrinya service to share their desperate situation, alleging unfair judicial processes and a lack of legal recourse for drug-smuggling offenses. Some prisoners, like Habtom, claim they were unaware of the charges or were forced to sign documents in Arabic without understanding them.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have voiced serious concerns about the Saudi justice system in such cases. They report that defendants are often denied access to lawyers, court documents, and adequate translation, leading to convictions that may not adhere to due process. Amnesty International researcher Dana Ahmed noted a near-total lack of transparency from sentencing to final ratification.
There has been a significant increase in the execution of Ethiopian nationals in Saudi Arabia. In the first seven months of the current year, 17 Ethiopians were executed, a stark rise from previous years. This surge may be linked to the ongoing impact of the Tigray war and Saudi Arabia's broader policy of applying the death penalty to drug-related offenses. Rights groups have called for an immediate halt to executions and for Ethiopia's government to provide consular support.
Despite diplomatic engagements between Ethiopian and Saudi officials, including visits by Ethiopian diplomats to prisons, the executions have continued. Prisoners described harsh conditions in overcrowded facilities, with limited contact with families and a pervasive sense of fear and uncertainty about their fate. The Saudi authorities maintain that executions follow a clear legal process and reflect a commitment to combating drug trafficking.