ع
The Sanad Organization released a report on October 10 detailing 10 executions that the group classified as politically motivated in Saudi Arabia between January and September 2026. All 10 cases involved ta’zir discretionary punishments based on charges of terrorism and membership in a foreign terrorist organization, according to the organization. The report noted that Saudi authorities did not name any specific organization or present evidence in the proceedings. In its report titled Political Executions in Saudi Arabia During the First Nine Months of 2026, the Sanad Organization identified Ali Al-Subaiti among those executed, describing him as the youngest political detainee to receive a death sentence in the kingdom.
Saudi authorities carried out three executions on January 7 in the Qassim region, the Sanad Organization report stated. Those put to death included Rayan Al-Dubaikhi, Mohammed Al-Thuwaini and Abdulrahman Al-Ayyiri. A second set of three executions followed on January 18 in Riyadh, involving Hussein Al-Omari, Saud Al-Anazi and Bassam Al-Subaie on similar charges, the group documented. The report listed further cases through the year, concluding with the September 15 execution of Suleiman Amjad Hussein in Qassim that brought the documented total of such cases to 10.
Ali Al-Subaiti had been arrested in 2017 at the age of 18 for acts that dated back to when he was a minor, according to the Sanad Organization. The group highlighted this case as part of its documentation of the 10 executions. The Sanad Organization previously recorded 356 executions across all categories in Saudi Arabia during 2025, a figure that included 45 it classified as politically motivated.
The European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights separately reported 108 executions in the first half of 2026, with nine falling into political and security-related categories that did not involve murder charges. ALQST for Human Rights placed the total number of executions in the kingdom above 150 by mid-September 2026, including nine for terrorism-related offences, according to its data. Amnesty International figures showed at least 356 executions took place in Saudi Arabia throughout 2025.
Human Rights Watch addressed a letter dated October 7 to European Union leaders calling for discussion of executions during the EU-Gulf Cooperation Council summit set for October 24 in Riyadh. The group referenced the high number of executions recorded in 2025 along with at least 17 Ethiopian nationals executed in 2026 without what it described as fair-trial guarantees. Seventeen UK parliamentarians signed a statement marking World Day Against the Death Penalty on October 10 that expressed concern over Saudi Arabia’s application of the death penalty and urged a moratorium.
