‘I’m a dead man walking’: The Ethiopian migrants waiting on Saudi Arabia’s death row
Living in Fear: 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 the walls of Khamis Mushait prison in southwestern Saudi Arabia. A sudden knock at his cell door might signal the end of his life—without warning, without a final meal, and without any goodbye. Executions in the kingdom frequently occur without prior notice, leaving prisoners like Amanuel in constant dread. “I’m a dead man walking,” he explains. “After my friends were executed, I don’t eat food, I don’t drink water.”
Amanuel is using a pseudonym for his safety. CNN secured his testimony from inside the prison, where he has spent several years awaiting his fate. The network has chosen not to reveal his full name to protect him from potential repercussions.
A Growing Crisis for Migrants
According to human rights organizations, approximately sixty Ethiopians have been condemned to death on drug-related offenses within a single cell at Khamis Mushait, with additional prisoners held elsewhere in the facility. Maya Foa, the chief executive of Reprieve, a prominent human rights organization, 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 currently on death row in Saudi Arabia under comparable circumstances. All relatives reported discovering the arrests merely weeks following sentencing, relying on 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,” said Selam, a sibling of one of the imprisoned men, who also requested anonymity. “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 these, 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 segment of foreign nationals facing capital punishment.
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 concerns. “Capital trials in Saudi Arabia routinely fail to meet even minimum guarantees of fairness,” he explained. “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 added, “This is not justice: it is state violence, inflicted on defenseless people.”
Amanuel’s Journey to Prison
Amanuel’s story mirrors that of hundreds of others. He escaped Ethiopia’s Tigray region during the pandemic amid the nation’s civil war, spending two years stranded in Yemen before finally reaching Saudi Arabia. There, he worked as a shepherd for three months before his Saudi employer offered him a position transporting goods. “The men who offered me the work were Saudi. I trusted them,” he recalled.
Several years ago, while delivering merchandise, police discovered hashish in his vehicle and arrested him. “We thought just we were carrying some normal things,” he told CNN. Following his arrest, Amanuel described being beaten with an electrical cord and kicked repeatedly. Documents written in an unfamiliar language were placed before him to sign without explanation. No lawyer appeared, nor did anyone from the Ethiopian embassy in Riyadh. Of his 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 no longer wears his cross, fearing persecution. He recounted being tied hand and foot, beaten, and left exposed to the sun for three hours. Four of his cellmates have attempted suicide, each time saved by fellow prisoners. Saudi Arabia has yet to respond to CNN’s inquiry regarding these cases.
