Dozens of Ethiopian migrants on death row in Saudi Arabia are appealing for mercy amid growing concerns over a sharp increase in executions for drug related offences. Human rights organisations say many of those facing execution are vulnerable migrants who lacked adequate legal representation during their trials.
The reports come as Saudi Arabia records one of its highest execution rates in recent years, with rights groups raising questions about due process and the treatment of foreign nationals.
Ethiopian Migrants Await Fate on Saudi Death Row
One Ethiopian prisoner, identified only by the pseudonym Amanuel for security reasons, described the fear of living under a death sentence in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking from Khamis Mushait Prison through an account obtained by international media, he said prisoners often receive no advance notice before executions are carried out.
According to Amanuel, many inmates live in constant fear, unsure when they may be called from their cells.
Human rights group Reprieve estimates that around 60 Ethiopian prisoners sentenced to death on drug related charges are being held in a single cell block at Khamis Mushait Prison, with additional detainees held elsewhere in the facility.
Families Appeal for Clemency
Relatives of several Ethiopian prisoners say they were not officially informed about the arrests or convictions of their loved ones.
Instead, they learned about the cases through friends, community members or informal contacts weeks after sentencing.
One family member, who requested anonymity for security reasons, appealed to Saudi authorities to reconsider the death sentences and show mercy to those awaiting execution.
Human Rights Groups Raise Fair Trial Concerns
Rights organisations have expressed concern over the legal process leading to many of the convictions.
According to Reprieve, there is a pattern of vulnerable migrants being prosecuted after crossing the border in search of work and better living conditions.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights also questioned the fairness of some capital trials.
Its legal director, Taha al Hajji, alleged that some defendants were denied proper legal representation and qualified interpreters, making it difficult for them to understand the proceedings against them.
He also raised concerns about allegations that some convictions relied on confessions that defendants claimed were obtained under coercion.
Saudi authorities have not publicly responded to those specific allegations.
Saudi Arabia Records Sharp Rise in Executions
According to data compiled by human rights organisations using official Saudi records, 356 executions were carried out in Saudi Arabia last year, the highest annual total recorded in recent history.
Of those, 240 involved drug related offences, with foreign nationals accounting for a significant proportion of those executed.
Rights monitors also reported that 71 people have already been executed this year for non lethal drug offences, with Ethiopian nationals representing the largest group of foreign citizens affected.
Human rights organisations continue to call for greater transparency, fair trial guarantees and a review of death penalty cases involving migrant workers, while families of those on death row hope international diplomatic efforts may help secure clemency.
