'Frightening milestone': Saudi Arabia hits 2,000 executions since King Salman took power

'Frightening milestone': Saudi Arabia hits 2,000 executions since King Salman took power Submitted by Rayhan Uddin on Wed, 04/15/2026 - 14:59 Gulf kingdom's use of death penalty increases fivefold, despite crown prince's promises of reform and modernisation This handout picture provided by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) shows Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah on 21 April 2023 (AFP/SPA) Off Saudi Arabia has carried out 2,000 executions since King Salman came to power 11 years ago, in what campaigners have described as a "frightening milestone". In the five years before King Salman took charge in 2015, Saudi Arabia executed an average of 71 people annually. That rate has now increased fivefold.