‘I’ll be executed on Tuesday’: families reveal panicked last calls from foreigners on Saudi’s death row

In Tabuk prison, inmates who have been sentenced to death are transferred to a separate ward nicknamed the ‘death wing’. Illustration: Avalon Nuovo/The Guardian

In the city of Tabuk in the far north of Saudi Arabia, neon lights flicker on in an overcrowded ward of a prison marking the start of a new day.

The prisoners are waiting. When the guards enter, they know someone is about to be taken away. An execution squad of about 20 guards will approach an inmate quietly, whisper something in their ear and escort them out. Some break down in tears, others simply ask for forgiveness.