‘I’m a dead man walking’: The Ethiopian migrants waiting on Saudi Arabia’s death row
Living on Death Row: Ethiopian Migrants Face Execution in Saudi Arabia
I m a dead man walking – Each morning brings uncertainty for Amanuel, a young Ethiopian man confined within Saudi Arabia’s Khamis Mushait prison. The sound of his cell door opening could signal his final hours—without warning, without a last meal or farewell. Executions in the kingdom frequently occur without prior notice. “I’m a dead man walking,” he explains. “After my friends were executed, I don’t eat food, I don’t drink water.” CNN secured this account from inside the facility, though Amanuel’s name has been altered to protect his identity.
A Growing Crisis for Migrants
According to human rights organizations, approximately sixty Ethiopians face death sentences on drug-related charges within a single cell at Khamis Mushait, with additional prisoners held elsewhere in the same facility. Maya Foa, who leads the human rights organization Reprieve, emphasized that these situations are not isolated incidents. “There is a clear pattern of Saudi authorities targeting vulnerable migrants,” she stated. “Often, their true ‘crime’ appears to have been crossing the border, in search of a better life.”
CNN has also communicated with family members of three additional men awaiting execution on comparable charges in Saudi Arabia. All relatives reported discovering the arrests merely weeks following sentencing, learning through community networks rather than official channels from either Ethiopian or Saudi authorities. “What I’m praying for, and what I need from the world, is to put positive pressure on the Saudi government to reconsider this decision,” explained Selam, a sibling of one prisoner, who requested anonymity for her family. “Please, Saudi government, we beg your mercy to my brother and others in a similar situation.”
Record-Breaking Executions
Saudi Arabia executed 356 individuals last year, marking the highest figure in recent memory according to NGO-compiled records. Of those executed, 240 had been convicted of drug offenses, with the majority being foreign nationals. This represents a dramatic increase from 2023, when monitors documented only two such executions throughout the entire year. The current year has already seen 71 executions for non-lethal drug crimes, with Ethiopians comprising the largest group of foreign nationals affected.
Taha al-Hajji, a Saudi attorney residing abroad and serving as legal director of the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, highlighted significant due process deficiencies. “Capital trials in Saudi Arabia routinely fail to meet even minimum guarantees of fairness,” he observed. “Defendants are denied legal representation and adequate interpretation, leading to migrants being convicted and sentenced to death without understanding the process – often on the basis of torture ‘confessions.'” He concluded: “This is not justice: it is state violence, inflicted on defenseless people.”
Amanuel’s Journey to Death Row
Amanuel originally escaped from Ethiopia’s Tigray region during the pandemic, amid the nation’s civil conflict. He remained stranded in Yemen for two years before finally entering Saudi Arabia. His initial employment involved shepherding for three months. When that position concluded, a Saudi employer offered him work transporting goods. “The men who offered me the work were Saudi. I trusted them,” he recalled.
Several years later, while completing a delivery, police discovered hashish in his vehicle and arrested him. “We thought just we were carrying some normal things,” he explained. Following his arrest, Amanuel described receiving a severe beating with an electrical cord and kicks to his body. Documents written in an unfamiliar language were placed before him for signature. No lawyer appeared, nor did anyone from the Ethiopian embassy in Riyadh. Of three court hearings, only the final one featured a translator—a brief exchange where the judge announced the sentence. No appeal was permitted.
A Christian, Amanuel stopped wearing his cross to avoid persecution. “He tied my hands behind my back, beat me, and left me in the sun for three hours,” he recounted. He now claims he cannot practice his faith whatsoever. Four cellmates have attempted suicide, each time being rescued by fellow prisoners. Saudi Arabia has yet to address CNN’s inquiry regarding these cases.
