UN expert urges Saudi Arabia to halt execution of 26 Egyptians

The Government of Saudi Arabia must immediately halt the reportedly imminent execution of 26 Egyptian nationals sentenced to death for drug-related offences, in violation of international law, a UN expert said on Tuesday.

“The Government’s claim that applying the death penalty for offences such as smuggling, receiving and distributing narcotic substances under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act complies with international law is incompatible with its legal obligations under International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” said Morris Tidball-Binz, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions in a statement.

“The right not to be arbitrarily deprived of life is a fundamental tenet of international law, from which no derogation is permitted,” Tidball-Binz said.

Since the beginning of 2025, Saudi Arabia has reportedly executed 141 individuals, approximately 68 of whom were foreign nationals. The vast majority were reportedly executed for non-lethal drug offenses, in clear violation of international law.

Amnesty International also reported a significant increase in executions during the first four months of 2025. Between January and April, 88 people were executed, 52 of whom were convicted of drug-related offenses. In contrast, 46 people were executed during the same period in 2024, none for drug crimes.

The 26 Egyptian nationals, currently held on death row in Tabouk prison, have reportedly been informed that their executions will take place shortly after the Eid al-Adha holidays, according to the UN Human Rights report. This follows the execution of two other Egyptians from the same group, carried out on May 24 and 25 respectively, without prior notification to their families.

According to court documents reviewed by the Office of the High Commission, some of the Egyptian prisoners were denied legal representation, while others were convicted based on self-incriminating statements which they later retracted in court, claiming that they were made under coercion.

Kristine Beckerle, deputy director of Amnesty International’s regional office for the Middle East and North Africa, said, “Despite Saudi Arabia’s repeated claims that it is limiting its use of the death penalty for crimes not mandated under sharia, the alarming surge in executions for drug-related offenses exposes the stark reality: Saudi Arabia is blatantly disregarding international law and standards, which restrict the use of the death penalty to only ‘the most serious crimes’ involving intentional killing.”

In November 2024, Saudi authorities transferred 35 Egyptians convicted of drug crimes to a single wing in Tabuk prison. Later that month, at least 10 foreign nationals and two Saudis were executed at the same facility for similar charges, raising fears about imminent executions of the remaining detainees, Amnesty said.