RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday put to death two Ethiopians, a Pakistani and a Saudi.
The executions typically carried out by public beheading — bring the number of executions to 114 this year, compared with 87 for all of 2014, according to AFP tallies.
Ethiopians Argawi Aldo Heilan Meriam and Hadish Zel Alam had been convicted of beating a fellow countryman to death and robbing him, the interior ministry said in a statement.
They were put to death in the southwestern Jazan region, it said.
In a separate case, Pakistani Esmat Sharif, found guilty of smuggling heroin hidden in his body, was executed in Jeddah, the ministry said.
The fourth condemned man, Saudi Mushasha Harisi, was executed in Jazan after his conviction for shooting dead another Saudi in a dispute, the ministry said.
The number of Saudis and foreigners put to death so far in 2015 is up 131 per cent on the figure for all of 2014, according to AFP tallies.
Under the conservative kingdom’s strict legal code, drug trafficking, rape, murder, armed robbery and apostasy are all punishable by death.
The interior ministry has cited deterrence as a reason for the punishments, but rights activists have raised concerns about the fairness of trials in the kingdom.
