Over 200 people of Ethiopian origin, many of them young, are reportedly at risk of being executed in the coming days in Saudi Arabia.
This was reported by the online newspaper Addis Standard, citing data from the Tigray Youth Office.
Human Rights Watch, an organization working in the field of human rights protection, could not directly verify this number but reported 65 Ethiopian migrants, all already convicted of crimes related to drug trafficking and possession, currently imprisoned at Khamis Mushait prison.
Three other death sentences were reportedly carried out on April 21.
Ethiopians fleeing the Tigray war
HRW managed to contact sources familiar with the situation of three of these detainees, who stated that they are refugees. They reportedly fled during the bloody conflict in the Tigray region (northern Ethiopia) that occurred between 2020 and 2022, where the humanitarian situation remains dire today.
According to the sources, they took the notorious and dangerous “eastern route,” passing through Djibouti and Yemen, before reaching their destination and being arrested between 2023 and 2024 by Saudi police in the Abha region, where they were working.
The substance they were found in possession of is khat—a plant banned in Saudi Arabia, which has extremely harsh drug laws. Khat is a shrub native to East Africa, whose leaves, when chewed, produce stimulant effects similar to amphetamines.
The appeal of the Catholic eparch of Ethiopia
On May 5, the Bishop of the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat, Tesfaselassie Medhin, made a heartfelt appeal to several international organizations and humanitarian agencies defending human dignity, seeking protection for the lives of the 200 prisoners.
As the Shepherd of the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat, he said, “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,” he began in his message, because “our faith teaches us that life is a gift from the Creator: sacred, inviolable, and deserving of protection from conception until its natural end.”
Justice tempered by mercy
The Eparch, while recognizing the sovereignty of nations and the need to uphold the rule of law, emphasized that “justice is more effective when tempered by mercy.”
In fact, “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, many of whom already suffer the hardships of poverty and displacement.”
Opening a dialogue with Saudi authorities
Therefore, Bishop Medhin added, “we fervently ask” the responsible international organizations “to initiate an urgent high-level dialogue with the authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to obtain the suspension of the executions and the commutation of these death sentences.”
Finally, he stressed the importance of “promoting alternatives to the death penalty that allow for rehabilitation, repentance, and the possibility of redemption.”
These people, he concluded, “are children, parents, and siblings. Their lives have intrinsic value that transcends any wrongdoing.” Efforts should therefore focus on fostering a ‘civilization of love’ and mercy.