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On Sunday, Saudi Arabia beheaded a man for a drug offense, making him the 85th person to be executed this year, according to a count by Human Rights Watch based on Saudi government statements. That is almost as many people executed all of last year, when 88 people were beheaded.

Thirty-eight of this year’s executions, including the one carried out on Sunday, have been for drug-related crimes with no allegations of violence, according to Adam Coogle, a researcher with Human Rights Watch.

In the United States, 35 prisoners were executed in 2014.

Saudi officials have not commented on the increased pace of beheadings, which Saudi leaders often describe as the best way to deter crime.

The call for executioners comes four months after King Salman, who has moved quickly to reorganize the government and promote a younger generation of officials, ascended to the throne.

So far, the king has not indicated any intention to reform the judicial sector, where deeply conservative judges have great power to define crimes and set punishments.

Analysts have speculated that the Saudi government is trying to send a message that it is tough on crime at a time when political chaos has consumed neighboring Arab countries.

Diplomats cited by Reuters have said that the rise in executions this year might be the result of new judicial appointments that have allowed a backlog of appeal cases to be decided.

The job openings posted on Monday did not specify relevant experience, training or a preferred educational background required for the job, nor was the salary indicated.

In some Saudi Arabia provinces, the job of swordsman is passed down from father to son.

In Qassim province, north of the capital, Riyadh, the primary swordsman works full time as a guard for the region’s prince and carries out executions on the side, earning a bonus of more than $1,000 per head, according to local government officials who know him.