"A person has been put to death in Saudi Arabia almost every day this month with the country expected to have added to that figure with the execution of its 23rd inmate yesterday...
[T]here has been a surge in executions in Saudi Arabia since the end of Ramadan on July 28, with 22 executions taking place between August 4 and August 22, compared to 17 executions between January and July this year...
A deadly August is just the tip of the iceberg for Saudi Arabia which executed more than 2000 people between 1985 and 2013, figures provided by the human rights group reveal. According to them, trials in capital cases are often held in secret and defendants are given no or insufficient access to lawyers.
And people in Saudi can be executed for a range of crimes including adultery, armed robbery, apostasy, drug-related offences, rape, witchcraft and sorcery.
Most executions are done by beheading and many take place in public.
In some cases decapitated bodies are left lying on the ground in public squares as a 'deterrent'."