Four people have been executed in Saudi Arabia after being convicted on terrorism charges related to violence in the east of the country, Saudi officials have said.

State television carried a statement from the Interior Ministry on Tuesday saying the four men’s death sentences were issued for crimes including joining armed groups and attacking police stations and security patrols in the restive Qatif peninsula.

The oil-producing region has been hit by a wave of recent violence - including car bombs and shoot outs between armed protesters and soldiers - over plans to demolish and redevelop a 400-year-old traditionally Shia neighbourhood in the town of Awamiya.

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Riyadh says terrorists hide in buildings there in order to launch attacks on the security services. In May, at least five people - including a two-year-old boy - were killed when the area was placed under siege-like conditions by the army.

It was not clear whether the men executed this week were part of Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority, or the crimes they were accused of had taken place, although several local news outlets alleged that was the case.

In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions Iranian and Turkish demonstrators hold pictures of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as they protest outside the Saudi Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions Kashmiri Shiite Muslims, carrying a placard with the portrait of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, shout slogans during a protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world at Saudi executions Indian police used tear smoke and rubber bullets to disperse Shiite Muslims who were protesting after Saudi Arabia announced the execution of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday along with 46 others, including three other Shiite dissidents and a number of al-Qaida militants. In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions Shane Enright, Global Trade Union Advisor for Amnesty International, addresses demonstrators as they protest outside the Saudi Embassy in London, following Saudi Arabia's execution of 47 prisoners in one day, including a top Shiite cleric In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions Iranian protestor burn pictures of a member of the Saudi royal family in front of the Saudi Arabia embassy in Tehran, Iran, 02 January 2016. Protesters have stormed the Saudi embassy building in the Iranian capital of Tehran early Sunday amid backlash over the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. Flammable substance was seen thrown at the building as protests gained steam over the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Reports states, protesters taking down a Saudi flag and burned the building. In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions Shiite Muslims hold placards with pictures of Saudi Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, whose execution in Saudi Arabia was announced Saturday, during a demonstration to condemn his execution, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 in Peshawar, Pakistan In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions A Kashmir Shiite Muslim shouts slogan from Indian police vehicle after he was detained during a protest in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir,

There are more than 20 people on death row in the eastern province, which has seen periodic unrest since 2011.

In January 2016, Riyadh executed prominent Shia Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr as well as dozens of suspected al-Qaeda members in what appeared as an attempt to show it would not tolerate attacks, whether by Sunni jihadists or minority Shia.

Sheikh Nimr’s death led to protests in both Qatif and Shia communities around the world. In Shia-majority Iran, attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions led to the cutting of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The executions in Qatif come on top of those of six people in Riyadh executed on Monday for murder and drugs offences.

The conservative Kingdom, which has one of the highest death penalty rates in the world, is thought to have executed 50 people so far in 2017.