"When the guards enter, they know someone is about to be taken away. An execution squad of about 20 guards will approach an inmate quietly, whisper something in their ear and escort them out. Some break down in tears, others simply ask for forgiveness. This is the fate of hundreds of foreign nationals who have been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for non-violent drug crimes, some for allegedly trafficking drugs for the promise of just a few hundred dollars."
"Over the past four months, the Guardian has been speaking to family members of a group of Egyptian migrants held in Tabuk, the notorious death prison. They describe forced confessions, torture and an inability to afford lawyers to defend themselves. Some of the Egyptians who were on Tabuk's death wing' known to have been executed over the past year. Full names at end* Composite: Mena Rights Group Many of those sentenced to death were probably innocent or forced into drug trafficking, say human rights groups."
Prisoners in Tabuk's overcrowded ward are routinely taken from cells by execution squads of about 20 guards, escorted quietly and sometimes breaking down or asking forgiveness. Hundreds of foreign nationals have been sentenced to death for non-violent drug crimes, sometimes allegedly for trafficking drugs for the promise of only a few hundred dollars. Families of Egyptian migrants in Tabuk report forced confessions, torture and inability to afford legal defence. A temporary 2021 pause on drug-related executions ended in November 2022, followed by a surge. Since early 2024, at least 264 foreign nationals have been executed for drug crimes.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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