Ethiopian prisoners, many fleeing war and poverty, find themselves arrested in Saudi Arabia for drug smuggling and condemned to execution. A young man named Habtom, now on death row in Khamis Mushait, managed to reach a BBC reporter from a prison cell phone, his voice dripping with desperation.
"One prisoner cannot comfort another. We have no choice but to cry. We are waiting for our turn, even though we do not know when it will happen," he said, according to the BBC.
About 200 Ethiopian inmates are currently held in Saudi prisons, many of them facing capital punishment. Studies by Amnesty International show that executions of Ethiopians rose sharply in 2025, from just two in 2023 to 35 in 2025.
The legal process, according to human‑rights groups, often lacks transparency. Defendants are denied access to lawyers, court papers, or reliable translations, and may even be forced to sign agreements in Arabic that they do not understand.
In Saudi courts, a judge can sentence a defendant to death on the first appearance. Appeals, in theory, are possible, but without legal representation the plea rarely changes the outcome.
The prisoners reported cramped, overcrowded conditions: 200 men in a cell designed for 90, with 45 bunks. Food is delivered once a day and inmates are locked after each feeding. Many express a deep fear that they might never be released alive.
Diplomatic dialogue has been limited. Ethiopian officials have called for intervention, but to date no significant progress has been made. The Ethiopian foreign ministry states it is in contact with Saudi authorities, yet executions continue, with 17 Ethiopian prisoners executed in the first seven months of 2026 alone.
The story highlights the urgent need for transparent, fair legal processes and the protection of migrant rights in Saudi Arabia. Without change, many innocent prisoners remain trapped in an endless and brutal cycle.
