‘I don’t know if I will still be alive tomorrow’: Dozens of Ethiopians ask the world for help from Saudi Arabia’s death row

At least 76 Ethiopians are at imminent risk of execution in Saudi Arabia, as families, regional authorities and rights groups call for help. Two men on death row told the paper they fear being executed without warning, amid concerns that their trials lacked basic safeguards.

Amnesty International recorded 96 executions in Saudi Arabia between January and 22 June 2026, including 61 for drug-related offences; 39 of those executed were foreign nationals. Human Rights Watch says at least 20 Ethiopians were executed for drug trafficking from January to August, while the two men interviewed say they were sentenced for transporting hashish after trials without lawyers or interpreters. Saudi Arabia executed at least 356 people in 2025, according to Human Rights Watch, following 345 executions in 2024.