RIYADH – Saudi Arabia s interior ministry said four people were executedMonday for drug trafficking, including one woman, bringing to 53 the numberof people put to death this year.
Two Pakistani men, a Yemeni man and a Nigerian woman were executed in theholy city of Mecca, the ministry said in statements carried by the officialSaudi Press Agency.
Fifty-three people have been executed in the kingdom since the beginning ofthe year, according to a count based on official data released by SPA.
The ultra-conservative kingdom has one of the world s highest executionrates, with those convicted of terrorism, homicide, rape, armed robbery anddrug trafficking facing the death penalty.
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Rights experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the fairness of trialsin the kingdom, governed under a strict form of Islamic law. The governmentsays the death penalty is a deterrent for further crime.
Last year, Saudi Arabia carried out the death sentences of 120 people. -APP/AFP
