Saudi Arabia beheaded one of its citizens Wednesday in the eastern province of Qatif after he was convicted of murdering a fellow Saudi, the interior ministry said.

Ali Al-Saeedi shot dead Ali Abdelhay during a dispute, said the statement published by the official SPA news agency.

The execution takes to 32 the number of people put to death in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the year, according to an AFP count.

In 2012, the kingdom executed 76 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The US-based Human Rights Watch put the number at 69.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Saudi Arabia's strict version of sharia, or Islamic law.