Saudi Arabia executes 5 Ethiopians over drug-related charges, rights group says
Human Rights Watch reports that Saudi Arabia executed five Ethiopian migrants for drug-related offenses following trials that lacked due process. The organization warns that dozens more Ethiopians remain at risk of execution in the Saudi legal system.
Why it matters
The report highlights ongoing human rights concerns regarding the treatment of migrant workers and the use of the death penalty in the Middle East.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Five Ethiopians were executed in Saudi Arabia this week on drug-related charges following a trial that allegedly did not follow due process and lasted a few minutes without a translator, according to Human Rights Watch.
The rights organization said Tuesday at least 79 other Ethiopians remain at imminent risk of execution on similar charges. It cited the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, which said at least 116 people have been executed this year.
Human Rights Watch said the five were charged with possessing hashish, a type of cannabis.
“Saudi authorities are executing marginalized Ethiopian migrants after court hearings that sometimes barely last a few minutes without a lawyer or a translator,” said Joey Shea, senior Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch. Many Ethiopians migrate to Gulf countries in search of work.
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