Saudi Arabia has confirmed the execution of two convicted Ethiopians over the smuggling of drugs in the kingdom.
The offense is punishable by the death penalty in the kingdom.
The drug convicts identified as Khalil Qasim Muhammad Omar and Murad Yaqub Adam Siyo — both of Ethiopian citizenship — were found guilty of smuggling hashish, according to a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency.
“Upon referral to the competent court, a verdict was issued confirming the charges against them and sentencing them to death” the statement indicated.
The Saudi authorities said the death penalty was exercised on the two to help maintain public order after all legal appeals on their behalf had been exhausted.
The Saudi interior ministry said, the latest executions pushed this year’s number of foreigners executed in Saudi Arabia to 101 — a spike in capital punishment that human rights groups have strongly condemned.
In 2024, the 100-foreigners execution mark was only surpassed in November in the Gulf kingdom, one of the world’s leading users of the death penalty.
Earlier this week, Amnesty International lambasted the spike in executions, calling it a “relentless and ruthless use of the death penalty after grossly unfair trials.”
MG/as/APA