In 2025, Saudi Arabia executed 356 people, the highest number ever recorded in a single year in the kingdom. Most of these executions were linked to Riyadh’s “war on drugs,” with 243 people put to death for drug-related crimes. Many of those executed had been arrested years earlier, and most were foreigners. Saudi Arabia resumed executions for drug offences in late 2022 after stopping them for about three years. The country is a major market for the illegal drug Captagon, which was Syria’s largest export under Bashar al-Assad. Police have increased checkpoints on highways and borders to catch traffickers and seize millions of pills. Human rights groups have criticized Saudi Arabia for using the death penalty so widely, saying it goes against the kingdom’s image as a modern and open country under Vision 2030. The government says the death penalty is necessary for public safety and is only used after legal appeals. Despite criticism, executions have continued at record levels.

Pray for wise counsel for the authorities to eradicate drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia. Pray that the evil-doers behind these drug trafficking rings are quickly brought to justice (The Holy Bible, Proverbs 21:15).

Pray for the government of Saudi Arabia to uphold the rights and freedoms, especially the right to life, of all its citizens. Pray for justice to prevail in the country (The Holy Bible, Deuteronomy 16:19).

News Source: The Guardian

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