Saudi Arabia is advertising for eight new executioners to carry out an increasing number of death sentences, usually done by public beheading.
The Saudi Press Agency recorded the 85th execution of the year, as compared to a total of 88 in 2014, as per Human Rights Watch (HRW). A public statement regarding the drastic increase has not yet been released, but it is speculated to be caused by an increase in the number of appointed judges, allowing a backlog of appeal cases to be heard.
The kingdom ranked third, after China and Iran, in putting people to death in 2014, say Amnesty International figures.