They Are Among a Growing Number of Ethiopians Facing Execution in Saudi Arabia on Drug Trafficking Charges

Some Ethiopian inmates on death row in Saudi Arabia have reached out to the BBC's Tigrinya service, using prison phones to share their stories as they await execution. Habtom, a young Ethiopian man whose name has been changed to protect his identity, spoke to the BBC from his cell in a prison in Khamis Mushait, a city in the country's south, where he has been held for more than three years. His voice was heavy with despair as he pleaded for help, surrounded by the noise of fellow inmates shouting in the background, and he expressed anger that his government seemed to be doing little to change his fate.

Habtom and other inmates had fled war and poverty in their homeland, hoping for a better life, but their journey through Djibouti and Yemen ended in imprisonment. They are among a growing number of Ethiopians facing execution in Saudi Arabia on drug trafficking charges. The BBC spoke to seven of what are believed to be dozens, possibly up to 200, Ethiopians on death row, alongside Pakistanis, Sudanese, and Jordanians in similar situations.

In the first seven months of this year, 17 Ethiopians were executed, the highest number among non-Saudis. Five of those executions took place on July 27. According to Amnesty International, only two Ethiopians were executed two years ago, but that number rose to 35 in 2025. The reason for the increase is unclear, but it may be linked to the growing number of people leaving the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, where a two-year civil war ended in late 2022, leaving widespread devastation. Dana Ahmed, a researcher at Amnesty International, told the BBC that the rise could also be connected to Saudi Arabia's broader use of the death penalty for drug-related crimes in recent years.

Habtom, like most of those the BBC spoke to, is from Tigray and was convicted of trafficking hashish, a cannabis product. In Saudi Arabia, a conviction can lead to the death penalty at the judge's discretion. However, human rights groups including Reprieve, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Amnesty International say due process is rarely followed in such cases.

According to Ahmed, defendants are not given access to lawyers or court documents, and when translation services are provided, they are often inadequate. Although there is a theoretical right to appeal, inmates cannot file one without lawyers, and "the sentence is then automatically upheld, she said. "There is almost a complete lack of transparency throughout the entire judicial process, from the conviction to the Supreme Court review and the king's approval.

Death row inmates and their families are left in the dark about their fate. Habtom said he was not given the chance to meet a lawyer or defend himself. He also claimed he was forced to sign an Arabic document accepting the sentence without understanding what he was signing.

Other inmates the BBC spoke to told similar stories about the legal system. Nadia Hardman, senior adviser on refugee and migrant rights at Human Rights Watch, said she had been in contact with people linked to the cases, describing "mass sentences, mass trials without any procedural safeguards, and detainees waiting without knowing when the sentence will be carried out. Saudi authorities did not respond to the BBC's request for comment on allegations that the legal process is unfair.

However, after each execution, an official statement is released through the state news agency, outlining a process that includes investigation, trial, appeal, Supreme Court ruling, and a royal decree. The statement also says the sentence reflects a commitment to protecting citizens from the "scourge of drugs" and its harms. Habtom said he can occasionally communicate with his family via a wall-mounted phone in his cell, but he has not told them he is on death row.

"I would rather they be informed after I die than learn now, he said. He had dreamed of finishing high school, graduating from university, and finding a job to support his parents, but the Tigray war ended those plans. "My goal was destroyed, so I decided to migrate, he said.

After surviving the dangerous journey to Saudi Arabia in 2021, Habtom found a low-paid job as a shepherd. His employers then offered him and others the chance to earn more money. They said they were asked to deliver a package but were stopped by police on the way and caught with khat, a natural stimulant widely used in the Horn of Africa.

While all official Saudi statements mention hashish trafficking, the people the BBC spoke to said they were carrying khat. "I didn't know what we were carrying. They later said it was khat.

I don't even know what khat is, Habtom said, adding that he accepted the job because of the money offered. He admitted he made a mistake "without knowing" and hopes his death sentence will be commuted to a prison term. Three of his Ethiopian fellow inmates were executed in April, and nine more in June.