(Credit - Saudi Press Agency)
Five Ethiopians executed in Saudi Arabia for hashish smuggling
Saudi Arabia executed five Ethiopian nationals after convicting them of participating in drug-smuggling operations, according to an interior ministry statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency. The capital punishment was carried out in Asir, a southern province situated along the Red Sea coast, marking the third time in recent months that groups of Ethiopian citizens have faced execution in the kingdom.
The latest enforcement action brings Saudi Arabia’s total execution count for the year to 205. Last year, the kingdom recorded a total of 356 executions. Ministry figures indicate that 32 Ethiopian nationals have been put to death throughout the current year, positioning them as the largest foreign demographic subjected to capital punishment in the country. Previous multiple-execution instances involving Ethiopian nationals occurred in June and July, when two separate groups of five individuals were executed in single days.
Human Rights Watch issued a warning in July stating that at least 79 additional Ethiopian nationals faced an imminent risk of execution on similar charges. Thousands of low-skilled workers from Ethiopia travel to the kingdom annually, predominantly journeying along the Eastern Route that stretches from the Horn of Africa through Yemen.
