Military Officer Eid Al-Zoubi… The 31st Political Execution in Saudi Arabia Since the Beginning of 2025

On Saturday, 20 September 2025, Saudi authorities carried out the execution of military officer Eid bin Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Zoubi, who held the rank of corporal, in the Qassim region. He was convicted on charges described by the Ministry of Interior as “high treason, adopting a terrorist ideology, and supporting acts aimed at disturbing public security.”

This marks the 31st political execution since the beginning of this year, in a continued pattern of death sentences with a political nature. These rulings are often based on vague and overly broad charges such as “terrorism” and “treason,” without the judicial verdicts presenting specific acts or concrete evidence. The official statement issued by the Ministry of Interior also failed to clarify whether the sentence was qisas (retribution) or ta’zir (discretionary punishment), reflecting yet another attempt by the Saudi authorities to manipulate legal terminology and justify extrajudicial killings outside proper judicial safeguards.

SANAD affirms that the Saudi judiciary routinely employs the term “terrorism” to criminalize mere expressions of opinion or posts on social media. This case recalls earlier executions, such as those of journalist Turki Al-Jasser and Dhafer Al-Shehri, who were executed over charges tied to tweets and critical views under the same pretext.

In documenting this execution, SANAD stresses that it constitutes a political execution and a continuation of the Saudi authorities’ policy of spilling citizens’ blood under the guise of “counter-terrorism.” The organization strongly condemns this unlawful act, considering it a blatant violation of the right to life and a clear breach of international fair trial standards.

SANAD further issues an urgent call to the international community, the United Nations, and global human rights organizations to take immediate action, pressure Saudi authorities to halt this wave of political executions carried out under vague pretexts, protect the lives of citizens, ensure their right to free expression without fear of reprisal or elimination, and to launch independent and transparent investigations into these systematic violations.