Saudi Arabia Executes Seven, Including Five for Drug Trafficking
Saudi Arabia made headlines on Wednesday as it carried out the execution of seven individuals, with five of them facing the death penalty for drug trafficking offenses. The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that these executions have brought the total number of people put to death in the country this year to 236.
Among those executed were Yahya Lutfullah, Ali Azib, Ahmed Ali, and Salem Nahari, who were Yemeni citizens and were accused of smuggling hashish into the country. Additionally, a Pakistani man was also executed for drug trafficking, reflecting a total of 71 individuals executed for this crime in 2024.
Saudi Arabia has seen a rise in drug-related executions due to the influx of captagon, an amphetamine drug, from conflict-affected regions like Syria and Lebanon. Despite international criticism, Saudi authorities defend these capital punishments as necessary to maintain public order.
According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia ranked third in the world for executing prisoners in 2023, trailing behind China and Iran. The country’s use of the death penalty continues to spark debate on human rights and its public image on the global stage.
Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024