13 March 2013
Saudi Arabia: Seven men executed in act of sheer brutality
The men were shot by a firing squad this morning in the city of Abha, in the
south of the country.
The men were shot by a firing squad this morning in the city of Abha, in the
south of the country.
© Private
At a Glance
Saudi Arabia has one of the highest rates of execution in the world.
At least 24 individuals have been executed in 2013.
At least 82 people were executed in 2011, as were a similar number in 2012
more than triple the figure of at least 27 in 2010.
Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for crimes, including drug offences,
apostasy, sorcery and witchcraft.
"
We are outraged by the execution of seven men in Saudi Arabia this morning.
We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances, but this case has been
particularly shocking.
"
Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International.
The execution of seven men in Saudi Arabia after allegedly being forced to
"confess" to charges of armed robbery is nothing but an act of sheer brutality,
Amnesty International said today.
The men were shot by a firing squad this morning in the city of Abha, in the
south of the country.
"We are outraged by the execution of seven men in Saudi Arabia this morning. We
oppose the death penalty in all circumstances, but this case has been
particularly shocking," said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa
Director at Amnesty International.
The seven men were arrested in 2005 and 2006 on charges of armed robbery.
All of them reported that they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated while
held in custody and forced to "confess" to the alleged crime. They also claimed
their relatives were threatened with torture if they withdrew their
"confessions".
"It is a bloody day when a government executes seven people on the grounds of
`confessions' obtained under torture, submitted at a trial where they had no
legal representation or recourse to appeal," said Luther.
Two of the men are believed to have been juveniles at the time of the alleged
crime: Ali bin Muhammad bin Hazam al-Shihri and Sa'id bin Nasser bin Muhammad
al-Shahrani.
In a trial only lasting several hours, all men were denied legal representation
and refused the opportunity to appeal. Saudi Arabian authorities postponed the
executions after an international outcry.
"The death penalty is a violation of a fundamental human right the right to
life and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, whatever
form it takes."
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