Five more executions in a single day, 188 already this year. What's really happening inside Saudi Arabia's death penalty crackdown?

So, Saudi Arabia has executed five of its own nationals on Saturday, and it's raising serious eyebrows.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the five men were convicted of joining a foreign terrorist organisation, opening fire on security forces, and supporting terrorist operations inside the Kingdom. The executions were carried out in the Eastern Province.

Now, for some context here - this isn't an isolated case. This pushes Saudi Arabia's execution total for this year alone to 188, based on an AFP tally of official statements. Of those, 15 have been for terror-related convictions since January, most in the east.

And that location matters. The Eastern Province is home to most of Saudi's Shia Muslim minority, a community that has long complained of marginalisation in the Sunni-majority country. Human rights groups have repeatedly flagged that terror trials in the east disproportionately involve Shia activists. That's the human angle here - beyond the official charges, there are families and communities who say they are being targeted.

Saudi Arabia is on edge. The Kingdom is facing almost daily drone and missile attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, where Riyadh backs the internationally recognised government. Internally, the state says the death penalty is essential to maintain public order and is only used after all appeals are exhausted.

But the numbers tell a bigger story. Amnesty International ranked Saudi Arabia as the world's third-most prolific executioner between 2022 and 2025, behind only China and Iran. Last year, the Kingdom executed 40 people for terror offences. This year, we're at 15 already, and it's only October.

This is part of a long pattern. Since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's rise, Saudi Arabia has swung between high-profile reforms - think concerts, women driving - and an intensified security crackdown. In 2019, 37 people were executed in one day for terrorism, and in March 2022, a staggering 81 men were executed in a single day.

Critics argue the broad anti-terror law is used to criminalise dissent. The government argues it is fighting genuine extremist threats.

Watch the Eastern Province closely. With regional tensions still boiling over the Yemen war and Iran rivalry, and with international scrutiny from groups like Amnesty growing louder, the pressure is on Riyadh to be more transparent about these trials. Will the pace slow down, or will 2026 become a record year?

This is a developing story. Stay with cbinews.tv for updates.

Source/ Cbinewstv

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