What's behind the spike in Saudi beheadings?

Young Bangladeshis stage a mock execution in protest of Saudi Arabia beheading eight workers in 2011 [Reuters]

In the opening weeks of August, Saudi Arabia carried out more than one execution per day, human rights groups say.

Al Jazeera Last updated: 02 Sep 2014

Human rights groups say there has been an upsurge of executions in Saudi Arabia, after more than one execution per day in the first three weeks of August was carried out. To date this month, the country has almost doubled the number of declared executions in the seven months before August 4.

Charges have included murder, drug smuggling, and sorcery. On August 18, four members from the same family in the southwestern city of Najran were beheaded for smuggling a "large quantity of hashish". The next day a Saudi national was executed in the northern city of Qurayyat for sorcery.

The Saudi Ministry of Justice has announced the execution of 26 individuals since August 4. In the seven months prior, 15 executions were carried out, bringing the total number to 41 so far this year. However, there were no executions during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan this year between June 28 and July 28.

"One theory behind the increase is that there is a backlog of cases [since the start of the year]," said Adam Coogle, a representative of New York-based Human Rights Watch.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/what-behind-spike-saudi-beheadings-20148247123955103.html