DUBAI, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia has executed sixIranians for drug trafficking, the interior ministry said Wednesday, a year after the country executed a total of six people for drug trafficking based onIranian records.
Six people were killed in Daman on the Gulf coast over "misrepresentation of cannabis", the ministry said in a statement to the SPA news agency, without specifying when.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry announced that six people were executed in Dammam on the Gulf coast for "smuggling hashish" into the kingdom, the officialSPA news agency reported. The organisation did not specify when the execution order was issued.Iran calls former Saudi minister The Iranian Foreign ministry said it would hear a "strong condemnation"of the leader for "rejecting" violations of "the lawand the international legal model". AFP reported that the death toll would reach 170 in 2023, the highest in many years.
Amnesty International, a human rights organization that has tracked executions in Saudi Arabia since the 1990s, reported previous record highs of 196 executions in 2022 and 192 in 1995. According to an AFP tally, at least 117 of those executed last year were convicted drug traffickers.
This surge followed the kingdom’s decision two years ago to lift a moratorium on the death penalty for drug-related offenses. In 2023, authorities intensified their efforts with a high-profile anti-drug campaign, conducting numerous raids and arrests.
This surge followed the kingdom’s decision two years ago to lift a moratorium on the death penalty for drug-related offenses. In 2023, authorities intensified their efforts with a high-profile anti-drug campaign, conducting numerous raids and arrests.
Saudi Arabia has emerged as a significant market for captagon, an addictive psycho stimulant widely manufactured in Syria during its civil war. The conflict ultimately led to the recent fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. In September, over 30 human rights organizations, both regional and international, criticized the dramatic rise in executions related to drug convictions.
Saudi Arabia has become a major hub for captagon, an addictive stimulant that was mass-produced in Syria during the civil war. The conflict, which ended last month with the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, left a lasting legacy on the region. In September, more than 30 human rights organizations from around the world spoke out against the sharp rise in executions for drug-related offenses, calling it a troubling trend.
