Two Hundred Ethiopian Migrants Face Execution in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, 14 May 2026
Over 200 Ethiopian migrants await death sentences in Saudi Arabia for drug-related crimes involving khat, prompting urgent international appeals for intervention. These individuals fled the devastating Tigray conflict between 2020-2022, seeking refuge but finding themselves facing execution instead. Three Ethiopians were already executed on 21st April 2026, highlighting the immediacy of the crisis. Bishop Tesfaselassie Medhin has called upon international organisations to engage with Saudi authorities, emphasising that justice should be tempered with mercy. The case underscores the precarious situation facing Ethiopian migrants in the Gulf region and raises serious human rights concerns about due process.
From Conflict to Custody: The Journey of the Condemned
The Ethiopian migrants now facing execution fled their homeland during the brutal Tigray conflict that ravaged northern Ethiopia between 2020 and 2022 [1][2]. Their perilous journey took them through Djibouti and Yemen before reaching Saudi Arabia, where they hoped to find safety and opportunity [1]. However, their dreams of refuge turned into a nightmare when Saudi authorities arrested them between 2023 and 2024 in the Abha region for allegedly transporting khat, a plant that is legal in Ethiopia but classified as a controlled substance in Saudi Arabia [1]. At least 65 of these migrants are currently held at Khamis Mushait prison, according to Human Rights Watch [2].
Escalating Executions and International Alarm
The severity of the situation became starkly apparent on 21st April 2026, when three Ethiopian men were executed in Saudi Arabia [1][2]. This execution served as a grim harbinger for the remaining 200 migrants who continue to await their fate. The timing of these deaths has intensified international concern, particularly given Saudi Arabia’s record-breaking execution figures. The kingdom executed 345 people in 2024 and 356 in 2025, marking consecutive record highs [2]. The increase in 2025 was particularly driven by executions of foreign nationals for non-lethal drug crimes [2], a pattern that directly affects the Ethiopian migrants currently on death row.
Church Leadership Demands Mercy
Bishop Tesfaselassie Medhin of the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat has emerged as the most vocal advocate for the condemned migrants. On 5th May 2026, he issued a passionate appeal to international organisations and humanitarian agencies, declaring: ‘I lift my voice not only as a religious leader, but as a witness to the profound value of every human soul, created in the image and likeness of the Almighty’ [1][2]. The Bishop’s intervention carries particular weight given that Ethiopia is a Christian-majority nation, with nearly two-thirds of its population identifying as Christian, mostly Orthodox, and the Tigray region being up to 96% Christian [2]. His appeal emphasises that ‘the execution of these 200 people would represent an irreparable loss of human lives and a heartbreaking blow to the families left behind in Ethiopia’ [1].
Broader Human Rights Context and International Response
The Ethiopian migrants’ plight occurs within a broader context of concerns about due process and human rights in Saudi Arabia’s judicial system. Nadia Hardman, senior refugee and migrant rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated that ‘Saudi Arabia’s willingness to execute foreign migrants for nonviolent offences following trials that denied them basic due process reflects a profound disregard for their rights and lives’ [2]. The Catholic Church’s position on capital punishment has been reinforced by recent papal statements. On 23rd April 2026, Pope Leo condemned capital punishment during his flight back from Africa, stating: ‘I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment’ [1]. This was followed by another condemnation on 24th April 2026, when the Pope reaffirmed the Church’s stance against capital punishment during a video message to DePaul University in Chicago [1]. The Church cites the Catechism in considering the death penalty ‘inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person’ [1]. For families in northern Ethiopia, the threatened executions represent additional hardship compounding war, poverty, and instability [2], creating a humanitarian crisis that extends far beyond the prison walls in Saudi Arabia.