Open vacancy: Saudi Arabia needs 8 executioners

Saudi Arabia has opened eight job vacancies for executioners. New executioners are required because of a drastic increase of death penalties, namely beheadings in the Kingdom.

No special training is required from applicants. The executioners will have to behead condemned criminals in public as well as carry out amputations on those convicted of lesser offenses. The executioners would be considered as 'religious functionaries', since they would be serving religious courts and be on the lower end of the civil service pay scale.

The recruitment drive comes a day after Saudi Arabia executed the 85th person this year. The number reached in less than five months is compared to an estimated 90 executions over the whole 2014, according to Amnesty International.

The surge that occurred under King Salman rule can be explained with a backlog of appeal cases by death-row inmates that newly-appointed judges have to deal with.

The Saudi authorities inflict capital punishment to the foreigners as well.

Although criminals are usually executed in Saudi Arabia by public beheading, occasionally, a new punishment known as crucifixion will take place. The crimes punishable by death range from violent crimes like murder and rape to blasphemy, adultery, drug crimes, witchcraft and "disobeying the King".

Saudi Arabia ranks third on the list of top executioners, after China and Iran.