沙特阿拉伯死囚牢房中的埃塞俄比亚移民向BBC求助，声称因毒品走私罪被判死刑后遭遇司法不公。[1]这批死囚称在没有律师和翻译协助的情况下被强迫认罪，程序违反了基本法律保障。[1]国际人权组织已要求沙特停止相关执行。[1]
2025年以来，沙特对埃塞俄比亚人的死刑执行数量急剧上升。[1]全年共有35名埃塞俄比亚人被处死，其中上半年17人遭处决，超过了任何其他国籍的死囚数量，与两年前仅2人的执行数相比增幅巨大。[1]仅在周一一天，就有5名埃塞俄比亚人同时被执行。[1]虽然近2000名埃塞俄比亚人已获得皇家特赦，[1]但这一进展未能阻止大规模处决的继续。
被关押者描述了牢房内的绝望处境。一名叫Habtom的囚犯表示："一个囚犯无法安慰另一个。我们别无选择，只能哭泣。我们等待轮到自己，尽管不知道何时。"[1]另一名死囚Desta指出监狱过度拥挤，200人被挤在原本设计容纳90人的牢房中，仅有45张双层床靠墙而放。[1]
为回应这一局面，埃塞俄比亚政府已采取外交行动。[1]5月份，埃塞俄比亚外交部长吉迪翁·蒂莫西沃斯与沙特副外交部长瓦利德·库赖吉举行会谈，[1]随后6月埃塞俄比亚驻沙特大使塔法·图鲁·达迪访问了监狱。[1]
Ethiopian migrants facing execution in Saudi Arabian prisons have contacted the BBC, highlighting severe concerns about the judicial process and the dramatic surge in capital punishments. [1] According to reports, 35 Ethiopian nationals have been executed in 2025 alone, a significant increase from just two individuals executed two years prior. [1] During the first half of this year, 17 Ethiopians were put to death, with five executions carried out simultaneously on a single Monday, making Ethiopian nationals the largest group of foreign death row inmates being executed. [1]
The inmates describe a fundamentally unjust legal system marked by coerced confessions obtained without legal representation or adequate translation services. [1] One prisoner, Habtom, expressed the despair gripping the condemned population, stating: "A prisoner cannot comfort another. We have no choice but to cry. We wait for our turn, though we do not know when." [1] Another inmate, Desta, documented severe overcrowding conditions, with 200 people confined in a cell designed to accommodate only 90 individuals, with 45 double-layered beds positioned against the walls. [1]
Diplomatic engagement has emerged as a response to the crisis. [1] In May, Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Gideon Timosiwos held discussions with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Khuraiji in Addis Ababa, and Ethiopia's ambassador, Tafa Turu Dadi, visited the prison facility in June. [1] To date, nearly 2,000 Ethiopian nationals have received royal pardons in Saudi Arabia. [1] International human rights organizations have called on Saudi authorities to halt the executions and address the procedural violations affecting the cases of Ethiopian defendants. [1]