Kuwait puts seven inmates to death

Kuwait has put seven prisoners to death in a rare mass execution in the small, oil-rich nation, despite international criticism.

The state-run Kuna news agency said the seven were all facing premeditated murder and other charges in the sheikhdom.

It identified them as three Kuwaiti men, one Kuwaiti woman, a Syrian man, a Pakistani man and an Ethiopian woman.

Kuwait said the executionstook place at its central prison. It did not identify the method used. The sheikhdom typically hangs its condemned prisoners, but sometimes uses firing squads.

Kuwait had not held an execution since 2017, when it carried out another mass execution of seven prisoners, including a member of the ruling family.

The previous instance in 2013 saw the hanging of a Pakistani, a Saudi and a "Bidoon" - a name used in the emirate for people without citizenship.

The EU immediately criticised the executions.