Saudi Arabia executed 356 people in 2025, marking the highest number of executions in one year in the kingdom's history. Official data shows 243 of these were related to drug cases, as Riyadh stepped up its "war on drugs." Analysts say some executions are of people arrested in earlier years, carried out after lengthy legal processes. This new record follows 338 executions in 2024, making it the second year of record-high numbers. Saudi Arabia had paused death penalties for drug offenses for about three years but restarted them at the end of 2022. The kingdom is a large market for fenethylline, known as Captagon, a banned stimulant originally Syria's biggest export under Bashar al-Assad, according to the UN. To fight drug trafficking, Saudi Arabia increased police checkpoints on highways and borders. Millions of pills have been seized, and many traffickers have been arrested. Most executed drug offenders were foreigners. Human rights groups have criticized Saudi Arabia's heavy use of the death penalty. Activists say that continuing executions contradicts the image of a modern and tolerant society that the kingdom wants to promote. This new image is part of Vision 2030, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia also invests heavily in tourism and major sports events, including hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup. The Saudi government defends death penalties as necessary for public order and insists all executions follow legal appeals. Amnesty International has tracked executions in Saudi Arabia since 1990, but earlier records are unclear.