Saudi Arabia is beheading criminals at an unprecedented rate - almost half of them for non-violent drugs crimes , the human rights charity Amnesty International has warned . The Arab state is believed to have executed 38 people so far this year , treble the number in the same period in 2014 and a sign its new King Salman is showing no mercy to offenders . Now Amnesty has sounded the latest of several warnings over the country 's 'unfair ' justice system and harsh punishments . Regime : Some 38 people have already been beheaded in Saudi Arabia this year . King Salman ( above meeting British Prime Minister David Cameron ) was crowned in January and shows no sign of leniency . The charity 's Saudi Arabia researcher , Sevag Kechichian , told Adam Withnall of The Independent : 'Almost half of this year 's executions have actually been for non-violent drugs-related offences . 'There 's no real rhyme or reason for this upsurge in executions , and in a way this makes it all the more alarming . ' The Saudi authorities insist there is a surge in the number of executions because . Rape , murder , apostasy , armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Saudi Arabia 's version of Islamic sharia law . No mercy : King Salman pictured in January . One diplomatic source told the AFP news agency the surge in beheadings had started long before the reign of King Salman , who was crowned in January after the death of his half-brother King Abdullah . 'The Saudi authorities want to show everyone they are strong , people can rely on them to keep the security and the safety in the kingdom , ' said the source . The insider claimed the aim was to deter all forms of violence but the policy is linked to the kingdom 's fight against the Islamic State group . In September , Saudi Arabia began air strikes against the terrorists in Syria as part of the US-led coalition , raising concerns about possible retaliation inside the kingdom . Security officers arrested three Saudis who allegedly acted 'in support of ' the group when they shot and wounded a Dane in November . But Mr Kechichian said : 'The current rate has been truly unprecedented . It would ... be a stretch to say that this is an attempt to deter violence . ' The United Nations has said many Saudi trials are 'by all accounts grossly unfair ' and that confessions are obtained under torture . Amnesty 's annual report last week made a similar warning . 'Courts continued to impose death sentences for a range of crimes , including some that did not involve violence , such as `` sorcery '' , adultery and drug offences , frequently after unfair trials , ' it said . Trickle of news : Individual beheadings are only discovered when confirmed by the Interior Ministry ( above ) 'Some defendants , including foreign nationals facing murder charges , alleged that they had been tortured or otherwise coerced or misled into making false confessions in pre-trial detention . ' Those executed have included five Pakistanis , an Indian , two Jordanians , two Syrians and a Yemeni , with few foreign governments willing to appeal publicly for clemency from the oil-rich state . Three beheadings in a single day on Tuesday - one for rape and two for murder - took the total so far this year to 38 , according to an AFP tally .
Amnesty International says Arab ##y has beheaded drug offenders this year . That is treble the number doubled over the same period in 2014 . Charity says nearly all have been for non - violent drugs crimes . Tally seen as sign new King Salman will give no mercy to offenders .