Foreign Nationals on Death Row
Amnesty International reports nearly 3,000 preliminary death sentences between 2016 and 2022.
Around 400 people were executed during this period. While Egypt's use of drug-related death
sentences is relatively low compared to other countries, Harm Reduction International reported
at least 8 drug-related executions of foreign nationals in Egypt in 2021 alone — seven Pakistanis
and one Iranian, who were sentenced to death for smuggling more than 2 tonnes of heroin into
the country by sea. The Egypt Death Penalty Index also reported at least 26 death sentences for
drug-related offences between 2011 and 2020, 12 of which were issued to foreign nationals.
Prisoners at Borg al-Arab prison near Alexandria photographed during a prison visit by the State Information Service.
Acknowledgements
With special thanks to the following organisations and individuals who lent their considerable assistance and expertise
towards this research in Egypt: The Egypt Death Penalty Index, Harm Reduction International, Luise Eder, among others.
Death Penalty Research Unit, University of Oxford
For more research see:
foreign-nationals.uwazi.io or tinyurl.com/mappingdeathrow