The figures that have come out regarding death penalty in Saudi Arabia have surprised everyone. The cases of death penalty are continuously increasing here. Last year’s record of death penalty has been broken again this year. This year more death sentences have been given in Arabia than last year. Since then, the concern of human rights groups has increased.

According to BBC report, Britain’s campaign group Reprieve has given the information. It is said that about 347 people have been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia this year. In 2024 this figure was 345. This is a bloody year of hangings. Those who have been sentenced to death this year include a journalist and two protesting youths.

Death penalty being given in drugs case
According to Reprieve, this type of punishment is being given because of deaths caused by drugs. Two-thirds of the people hanged this year are said to be involved in drug crimes. These include many foreign citizens. In a way, this is a campaign launched against drugs.

Zeid Basyouni, a representative associated with Reprieve and serving in North Africa including the Middle East, said that Saudi Arabia is making a mockery of the human rights system. Innocent and marginalized people of the society are getting trapped in these actions. 96 have been hanged in Hashish (charas) cases. The Human Rights Office has termed this case as tragic.

UN has demanded a ban on death penalty
Joy Shea, a researcher on Saudi Arabia for Human Rights Watch, has said that Mohammed bin Salman and his officials did not have to pay any price for these executions. The families of those who are being hanged are not being informed. He is also not giving information about the method of giving death penalty. There is also beheading or firing squad here. An appeal has also been made by the UN to ban the death penalty.

Saudi Arabia has once again shocked the world with its execution cases. According to AFP report, so far in the year 2025, 340 people have been given death sentence in Saudi Arabia. This figure is not only shocking, but is also the highest level ever in Saudi Arabia’s history. Earlier in the year 2024, 338 people were hanged, which was considered a record at that time, but this year that record was also broken.

This new figure came to light when the Saudi Interior Ministry confirmed that three people convicted in murder cases were hanged in Mecca on Monday (15 December 2025). With this, for the second consecutive year, Saudi Arabia has crossed its own old record in hanging cases. Human rights organizations say that this situation is very worrying and it is raising questions at the international level.

Hanged for drug related crimes

If we talk about the cases, most of the executions have been done for crimes related to drugs. Out of the total executions given so far this year, about 232 cases are related to drug smuggling or related crimes. Human rights organizations argue that under international law the death penalty should be limited only to the most serious crimes, such as deliberate murder, but Saudi Arabia is also carrying out mass executions in drug cases.

Death penalty in terrorism related cases

Apart from drugs, many people have also been sentenced to death in terrorism related cases. There is also criticism regarding these cases because sometimes allegations are made under very broad laws and the process of trials is not considered transparent. Experts say that there are many allegations which do not have a clear definition.

Death penalty for minors

The most serious concern for human rights organizations is regarding matters related to minors. In recent months, two people who were claimed to have been minors at the time of the crime were also hanged. This is considered a direct violation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, whereas Saudi Arabia has signed this treaty. In the year 2020, after international pressure, the Saudi government had assured that minors would not be given death penalty, but despite this, such cases keep coming to light.

practice of fair trial

Britain-based human rights organization Alquest says there are still at least five prisoners who could be hanged at any time for crimes committed when they were minors. The organization’s researcher Nadeen Abdul Aziz has said that this attitude of Saudi Arabia shows a very harsh and dangerous disregard for the right to life. According to him, in many cases, forced confessions were made from the accused, fair trial was not conducted and then death sentence was given.

Large number of foreign nationals hanged

Foreign nationals have been hanged in large numbers, especially in drug-related cases. It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia had restarted executions in drug cases at the end of 2022, which was earlier stopped for three years. If we talk about the global situation, according to Amnesty International, after China and Iran, Saudi Arabia has remained at the third place among the countries in the world for the last three years which has carried out the most executions. The current figures for the year 2025 indicate that this situation may become even more serious this year.

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The United Nations (UN) described the verdict against former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on charges of crimes against humanity as an important moment for the victims, but expressed regret over the death penalty. At the same time, Sheikh Hasina, living in India, has called this decision politically motivated.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres, said in a press conference on Monday (November 17) that Guterres completely agrees with the stance of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk that we are against the use of death penalty under any circumstances. Dujarric was responding to a question on the UN Secretary General’s reaction to Hasina being sentenced to death in absentia by a Bangladeshi court.

Bangladesh court has given death sentence
Bangladesh’s International Criminal Tribunal on Monday found Sheikh Hasina guilty of crimes against humanity committed during protests against her government in July last year. Sheikh Hasina, 78, who has been living in India since the fall of her government in Bangladesh on August 5 last year, has been sentenced to death by the tribunal in her absence. After Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death, Awami League workers protested heavily in the capital Dhaka.

What did the United Nations Human Rights Council say
Sheikh Hasina’s aide and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has also been sentenced to death on similar charges. Raveena Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, said in a statement that the tribunal’s verdict against Hasina and the former interior minister is an important moment for victims of grave violations committed during the repression of protests last year. He further said that we regret the imposition of death penalty, which we oppose in every way under all circumstances.

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Bangladesh is once again boiling over Sheikh Hasina’s issue. Awami League supporters have clashed with other parties as well as the police after the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) awarded death sentence to former Prime Minister Hasina for crimes in the student rebellion case. Two people have lost their lives during the clash with the police.

National Highway Block in Dhaka
Protestors have blocked several national highways in Dhaka and cases of clashes with the police are being reported. According to Bangladeshi media, police had to use batons, sound grenades and tear gas to disperse the protesters.

Many videos have surfaced on social media, in which police are seen chasing the protesters with sticks and sounds of explosions are heard. According to local media, the Dhanmondi 32 area, where the house of Bangladesh’s founder and Sheikh Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is located, remained tense as protesters attempted to march there and destroy property.

Yunus has banned Awami League
Let us tell you that the Muhammad Yunus government of Bangladesh has banned Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League for its role in the anti-government protests of 2024. Before the decision of ICT on Monday, Awami League had called for a 2-day nationwide bandh in protest against this decision, as they termed the decision of ICT as politically motivated.

India’s eye on the whole matter
India is also keeping a close eye on the developments happening in the neighboring country. Let us tell you that after the coup in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina is living in Delhi under the supervision of the Government of India. The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that as a close neighbour, India is committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including peace, democracy, inclusivity and stability in that country. We will always remain connected with all stakeholders in this direction.

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Bangladesh court has convicted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of firing on unarmed civilians and crimes against humanity. The court has sentenced him to death. The court found that Sheikh Hasina had ordered the use of lethal weapons and drones to suppress and kill the protesters. Due to this serious crime he has been sentenced to death. The court also said in its decision that crimes against humanity were committed on the orders of Sheikh Hasina and her associates.

The court said in its decision that under the first charge, Sheikh Hasina did not fulfill the responsibility of handling the situation and stopping the violence. The evidence also revealed that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) could be guilty in this case. The court told that after July 19, continuous meetings were held at the Home Minister’s residence, in which instructions were given to suppress the student movement. Sheikh Hasina ordered a core committee to target the protesters, while Awami League supporters actively harassed the protesters. During interrogation by the IGP, he admitted his involvement in the alleged acts.

The court presented a total of 54 witnesses

The court heard the statements of a total of 54 witnesses and said that this number is sufficient. Evidence received from across the country and additional evidence from various sources were also examined. Also, the report of the United Nations agency was studied and it was concluded that crimes against humanity were committed on the orders of Sheikh Hasina and the Home Minister.

What did the Chief Justice of ICT say during the hearing?

ICT Chief Justice said during the hearing that Sheikh Hasina had given orders to kill the protesting students and other citizens. The court said that in a phone conversation with the Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University, Hasina gave instructions for violent action and insulted the students, which further incited the protests.

The tribunal made it clear that Hasina’s statements were derogatory and inciting violence. He deliberately planned to take people’s lives through his orders. The court also has records of the conversation between Hasina and the vice-chancellor of the university, which confirm her orders.

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Saudi Arabia sentenced 8 people to death on Saturday. In this, seven more people were hanged in the case of killing their mother in cases related to drug smuggling. This information was given by the government news agency Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

According to the SPA, four Somali and three Ethiopian citizens were sentenced to death on charges of “Hashish’s smuggling” in the southern region Najraran. All were convicted in the case related to drugs.

So far 230 people have been hanged in 2025
According to the AFP report, since the beginning of 2025, 230 people have been hanged in Saudi Arabia so far. Of these, 154 people have been sentenced to death in cases related to drugs.

2024 records can also leave 2025
According to experts, the hanging speed in 2025 can cross the 2024 figures. Last year, 338 people were sentenced to death. This increase is believed to be the result of the “War against drugs” launched in 2023.

Fans increased due to “War on Drugs” started from 2023
Analysts believe that the number of fans has increased due to the “War on Drugs” campaign against drugs. Under this campaign started in 2023, the arrested people are now being punished.

What happened so far on the hanging of drugs
2019-2022: There was a ban on hanging in drug cases for almost three years.
2022: 19 people were hanged in drug cases.
2023: Only 2 people were hanged.
2024: 117 people were punished in case of drugs.
2025: So far, 154 fans have been done only in drug cases.

Criticism and government side
Human rights activists are criticizing Saudi Arabia’s policy of constantly hanging. He says that it damages the image of the country’s “open and tolerant society”, which is part of the Vision 2030 scheme of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. At the same time, the Saudi government says that “death punishment is necessary to maintain public system and it is given only after the final appeal is rejected.”

Different countries have different stance on the death penalty ie hanging around the world. According to the 2024 report of Amnesty International, 112 countries have completely abolished the death penalty for all crimes. In such a situation, let us know which are the countries that have completely stopped the death penalty and in which countries the death penalty is being punished indiscriminately.

In which countries the death penalty completely ends

Among the most recent examples, Zimbabwe abolished the death penalty for general offenses in 2024, while Zambia completely abolished it in 2023. Apart from this, Sierra Leon, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Kazakhstan, Equatorial Guinea, Papua New Guinea, and Ghana have also eliminated hanging in recent years for completely or for general crimes.

Many reasons account for this

The first and biggest reason is the honor of human rights United Nations and many international organizations believe that the death penalty violates the right to life. It is considered cruel, inhuman and derogatory punishment. Not only this, it has been seen in many countries that innocent people were hanged due to wrong punishment. One reason for not giving death penalty is that no study shows that the death penalty is effective in reducing the rate of crime.

The most sentence of death penalty in these countries

However, there are also countries where the death penalty is still sentenced to the most, including countries like China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and America. Thousands of hanging are especially hanged every year in China, but accurate figures are kept secret.

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Executions in Saudi Arabia: There has been a lot of increase in the death penalty in Saudi Arabia last year. Amnesty International has expressed concern in this regard on Monday (July 7, 2025). Workers of Amnesty International said that the death sentence in Saudi Arabia has increased. He has expressed concern over the increasing sentence of death in cases related to non-sensational drugs.

According to Amnesty, 345 people have been hanged by Saudi Arabia in the last year. This figure is the highest recorded by the organization in the last three decades. In the first half of this year, 180 people have been sentenced to death only from January 2025 to June 2025. In such a situation, it is now being speculated that this record can break once again.

Human rights organization expressed concern

According to the Human Rights Organization Reprus, about two-thirds of the people who have been hanged so far this year were convicted in cases of non-sensational drugs. Amnesty has also expressed concern about the death penalty in such cases.

Saudi Arabia has not yet clarified why he is using the death sentence in such a large number and that too especially in cases of non-sensational drugs. According to the news agency Associate Press, when Saudi officials were asked about the death sentence, they did not respond.

However, the number of death sentence in Saudi Arabia is completely reversed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2022, in which he said that Saudi now gives death sentence only in murder cases.

What statement did Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia make,

In an interview to ‘The Atlantic’, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia said, ‘As far as the death penalty is concerned, we have abolished it except for a category (drug), which is clearly written in the Quran. Therefore, we cannot do anything in it, no matter what. Because this is the direct education of the Quran.

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