Ethiopians on Saudi death row plead for help
The gist
Saudi Arabia has executed 32 Ethiopians in 2026, the largest foreign national group put to death there.
Ethiopian inmates on death row are calling out for governments and citizens to intervene.
How it unfolded
- Jul 16, 2025At least 37 Ethiopian men were facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia for drug-related offences, according to a joint statement by 31 civil society groups.
- May 12, 2026A rights group urged Saudi authorities to halt executions of Ethiopians and called for Addis Ababa's immediate intervention, saying at least 65 Ethiopian migrants were at imminent risk of execution, with three already executed.
- Jun 2026Five Ethiopians were executed on a single day.
Key terms
- capital punishment
- State-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for a crime, carried out as an execution.
- drug-smuggling
- The illegal cultivation, manufacture, distribution, and sale of the prohibited drug fentanyl on the black market.
Source: Wikipedia