Saudi Arabia executed 108 people during the first six months of 2026, including 59 foreign nationals from 16 countries, among them Bangladesh, according to a report by the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR).
The organisation’s report, published on its website, said foreign nationals accounted for 54% of all executions documented between January and June. The remaining 49 people were Saudi citizens.
The report identified 17 nationalities among those executed, including nationals of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Somalia, Egypt, Nigeria, Benin, Iraq, Kuwait, Kenya, Uganda and Afghanistan, alongside Saudi Arabia.
However, ESOHR did not specify how many Bangladeshi nationals were executed during the first half of the year.
Drug-related offences accounted for most executions
Drug-related offences were the leading category of executions during the six-month period, accounting for 71 of the 108 cases, or approximately 66%, according to ESOHR.
A further 25 people were executed for murder. Nine executions were linked to political or security-related cases that did not involve murder charges, while three were categorised as other offences.
The report said 49 of the 71 people executed in drug-related cases were foreign nationals. That means foreign nationals accounted for most executions in this category, highlighting the impact of Saudi Arabia’s use of capital punishment on people from other countries.
ESOHR also raised concerns about legal safeguards in cases involving foreign defendants. The organisation said it had documented allegations of problems including inadequate interpretation, denial of legal assistance and defendants’ limited understanding of judicial proceedings.
These are findings and concerns reported by the rights organisation; the figures alone do not establish that every case involved the same procedural problems.
Two more Bangladeshis executed in October
The issue returned to the spotlight in October after Saudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshi nationals on October 14.
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