Six Iranians executed in Saudi Arabia for drug smuggling

DAMMAM: Six Iranians have been beheaded in the Saudi Arabian coastal city of Dammam for drug trafficking.

The Saudi Press Agency reported that the men were sentenced to death for smuggling hashish into the country through secret methods.

The exact timing of the executions was not disclosed. According to reports, Saudi Arabia executed 117 people for drug trafficking in 2024.

In 2023, Saudi Arabia launched an anti-drug campaign, conducting raids and arrests in various areas.

Amnesty International ranked Saudi Arabia as the third-largest executioner in 2023, after China and Iran. Human rights organizations continue to criticize the practice, while the Saudi government defends the death penalty as a means of maintaining public order, with executions only carried out after all appeals have been exhausted.