Saudi Arabia executed 330 people this year, the highest number in decades, despite de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman's 2022 assertion that the death penalty had been eliminated except for murder cases under his vision for a new open kingdom. The latest execution toll, compiled from execution announcements by human rights NGO Reprieve and verified by Reuters, is a big jump from the 172 total for last year and 196 for 2022. Reprieve said it was the highest ever recorded. Saudi Arabia denies accusations of human rights abuses and says its actions are aimed at protecting national security. More than 150 people were executed for non-lethal crimes this year, according to the tally, which rights groups say is contrary to international law. Those executions were mainly related to alleged drug smuggling amid a flood of amphetamine-like captagon from Syria under ousted President Bashar Assad. They also included people charged with non-lethal terrorism, a charge rights groups say is often used against those who have participated in anti-government protests. The total includes more than 100 foreign nationals from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
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