Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia: Families Grieving Without the Bodies of Their Loved Ones
Image source, Handout/BBC
“We performed all the rituals to comfort the family and help accept his death, but it won’t bring me peace,” says Kinfe Aregawi, mourning his son Kibrom’s passing.
“This regret and sorrow will stay with me for life.”
Kibrom Kinfe Aregawi was one of five Ethiopians sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia in June this year for cannabis trafficking.
Saudi Arabia ranks alongside China and Iran among the world’s leading countries issuing death penalties.
According to Human Rights Watch, Saudi Arabia carried out 116 executions by July 27 this year.
‘Punishment Extending to Families?’
In Ethiopian Orthodox Christian tradition, proper burial in a resting place with the body wrapped in a cloth and placed in a wooden coffin is highly significant.
However, the body of 25-year-old Kibrom Kinfe Aregawi has not been returned home, preventing these religious rites.
“Refusing to return the body is not just an administrative matter; it punishes not only the individual but also their family,” says Dua Zaini, Senior Researcher at the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR).
The organization advocates for victims of severe human rights abuses.
Nazila Ghanea, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion, describes Saudi Arabia’s practice of withholding bodies as “torture and ill-treatment.”
The five Ethiopians sentenced to death were neither given prior warning nor were their personal belongings returned to their families. Death certificates were also withheld.
Different Individuals, Same Story
Image source, Mebrahtom
Kibrom first traveled illegally to Saudi Arabia with his father Kinfe in 2020.
They were arrested, imprisoned for 15 months, and deported.
Due to the civil war in Ethiopia, Kibrom had to return to Saudi Arabia again.
He crossed the Red Sea and boarded a crowded boat to Yemen on foot.
In 2023, upon crossing the border, he was caught by Saudi authorities and charged with drug trafficking.
According to Kinfe, after three months in jail, the death sentence was imposed. He spent three years in prison before being sentenced to death in June.
“He was unable to speak to us. I learned about his death through social media,” Kinfe said.
Kinfe believes his son was falsely accused.
“There is no evidence that my son was involved in cannabis trafficking,” Kinfe asserts.
On the same day and in the same prison, Sigabu Gebremariam was similarly convicted and sentenced to death on the same charges.
Twenty-six-year-old Gebremariam was from rural central Tigray, Ethiopia, and was the eldest of eight children.
His father Hagos Gebremeskel said his son left home at 18 to seek employment in Saudi Arabia, hoping to escape unemployment and the civil war.
“There is limited work for youth in our area. He went to Saudi Arabia hoping to help me,” Hagos said.
He told us Sigabu planned to return soon and get married.
His mother Letekristos Gebretsadik was searching for a marriage partner for him but ultimately had to prepare for his funeral.
“I have daughters, he was my only son. My daughters are hopeful he would return soon; they were preparing for his wedding. Their grief is greater than mine,” she said.
Image source, Family supplied
After learning of Sigabu’s execution, his Ethiopian Orthodox Christian family held a symbolic funeral at their local church.
“I want to know why his body hasn’t returned home,” says Letekristos.
Sigabu’s parents have appealed to Saudi authorities for proof of guilt and suspect their son was framed for others’ benefit.
According to Amnesty International’s report last year, 75% of foreigners on death row in Saudi Arabia for drug offenses are foreign nationals.
Researcher Zaini says, “Criminal gangs exploit vulnerable people. Some Ethiopians are coerced into smuggling across borders, while some Pakistanis are pressured or promised jobs to carry prohibited goods.”
There Are Laws, But…
Image source, Mebrahtom
ESOHR estimates that since King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ascended to the throne in 2015, over 2,000 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia, 42% of whom were foreigners.
In 2025 alone, Saudi Arabia executed 356 individuals, the highest number in a single year.
Saudi law allows authorities to repatriate bodies at embassy expense, but Zaini notes that this never happens.
“We are not aware of any case where a prisoner’s body was returned to their family after execution. The same applies to cases involving Saudi nationals,” she stated.
Families from countries like Turkey and Jordan have campaigned for the return of prisoners’ bodies but were unsuccessful.
Image source, Kinfe Aregawi
Requests for comment from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Saudi Embassy in London went unanswered.
When announcing the death sentence of a Saudi citizen for cannabis trafficking, the Ministry of Interior quoted Quranic verses calling for severe punishment for those who spread corruption on earth.
The government has committed to protecting citizens and residents from narcotics and firmly vows strict penalties for traffickers and illegal trade.
Saudi Arabia does not disclose the number of prisoners currently on death row, but human rights activists estimate it is in the hundreds.
Joy Shia, a researcher in Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division, says, “Death sentences in Saudi Arabia are carried out secretly without prior notice. This leaves inmates and their families insufficient time to prepare, infringing upon their rights.”
‘Praying for a Miracle’
The secrecy surrounding death row inmates makes their situation even more difficult.
One inmate, who spoke under anonymity and was arrested in 2023 for drug trafficking, admitted guilt but hopes for clemency.
He has witnessed 15 fellow inmates executed this year and fears he may be next.
“Every time the guards open the door, I wonder whose turn it will be,” he said.
He clings to hope for a miracle and prays for some relief.
At the very least, he wishes for his remains to be returned to his family if the worst occurs.
“I fear my parents won’t even get to see my body,” he told us.
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