Three Iranian nationals were beheaded on Sunday, 8 November by Saudi Arabia for smuggling large quantities of narcotics into the country, reports said.

The total number of people of executed in the country now stands at 145.

Nabi Baksh, Mohammd Balouh and Omeed Bouledah were executed in the Eastern Saudi port of Dammam, Sabq newspaper said.

The state-mouthpiece SPA news agency said that three "criminals" entered the country in wooden boats with large amount of "hashish" and were nabbed by the Saudi coast guard.

According to an AFP tally, with this latest execution, the numer of people killed in the conservative Muslim country stands at 145. Last year a total of 87 people were executed in Saudi Arabia.

Several rights group in recent months have raised the alarm on the increasing number of executions in Saudi Arabia, especially now that it chairs the UN Human Rights Council panel.

A report in The Guardian published in September had said that the UK and Saudi Arabia made a secret deal to ensure that countries got elected to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

The report had highlighted it was primarly because of this "secret vote-trading deals" that Saudi Arabia - a country which has  beheaded twice as many people than the Islamic State (Isis) terrorists - was appointed to head the UNHRC.

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