Amnesty condemns Saudi for public beheading

PUBLIC BEHEADING: Amnesty International have spoken out against public display of executed body in Saudi capital, Riyadh. (Getty Images)

Amnesty International condemned on Saturday the execution of a Saudi man for double murder and the public display of his body in the Gulf Arab state.

The kingdom, a staunch US ally, beheaded Ahmad Adhib bin Askar Al-Shamalani Al-Anzi on Friday.

His body was hung in a public square in the capital Riyadh in what state media said was a deterrent.

The Saudi-owned daily Al-Hayat, which like websites showed pictures of the execution, said authorities had left the body hanging until late at night.

Rights activists said authorities only rarely use this form of deterrent to try to stop spreading crimes.

"It is horrific that beheading and crucifixions still happen," Amnesty International said in a statement on Saturday, adding that some 102 people had been executed last year in the world's largest oil exporter.

Saudi Arabia, which is also a member of the G20 economic bloc, usually carries out executions by public beheading for murder, rape, drug smuggling and, increasingly, armed robbery.

Saudi Arabia says it is implementing Islamic sharia law to the letter and that sharia ensures full rights for Muslims and non-Muslims, who must abide by the laws of the desert country.

The executions come days before a visit by US President Barack Obama for talks with King Abdullah. (Reuters)

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Crime rates
Posted by Doug on Monday 1 June 2009 at 15:10 UAE time


Why let facts get in the way of a good argument eh?

Let's face a simple truth here. Western countries did away with beheading years ago. Yet I'll wager the murder rate back in medieval times in somewhere like England was far higher than it is today.

The reason Saudi Arabia typically has lower crime rate than most Western countries is not because it has strict punishments; it is because Saudis generally take their religion extremely seriously and fear not some earthly punishment but a divine one. It's worth bearing in mind that the US has the death penalty but a higher murder rate, while Greece, Norway, Ireland, Austria and Luxembourg all have LOWER murder rates than KSA and do not have the death penalty.

The death penalty is not the definitive factor in reducing a crime rate, other social factors are at work, and commentators who suggest that the only reason Saudi Arabia has less crime is because of the death penalty are doing the Saudi people a great insult to their character.

Public Beheading
Posted by Amir Qayyum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday 1 June 2009 at 13:31 UAE time


Its Absolutely right to have a public beheading the divine law says it, the so called Modern Countries are not able to curb the crime due to lenient laws.
Apply Shariah and get results, no double standards at all.
Compare the crime rate in your land & with Saudi Arabia then say anythign against the Shariah law, I am sure none will have the face to speak against it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beheader
Posted by Mr Kevin, Dubai, UAE on Monday 1 June 2009 at 09:55 UAE time


Obviously that guy didn't have enough blood money to pay out to save his skin. Funny how crimes are only punishable by death if you are poor and have no influence.

If you can afford to pay people off then the Islamic Penal Code they are so fond of makes an exception.

Amnesty condems public beheading
Posted by Ibrahim Quazi, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Sunday 31 May 2009 at 16:44 UAE time


Kind Attn: M/S ASMNESTY; All the previous three comments are in favour of the law imposed by the Saudi Government. Heard of the old adage "Spare the rod & spoil the child"? Can you ever imagine that throughout Saudi Arabia, as the call for prayer is answered by the people who hurry for prayer, they leave their shops open and there is absolutely no robbery or their goods are pilfered. Where else in the world does this happen? A fine example of law being implemented and followed by the book. I think USA should think of adopting the same...

View all comments (7) >>

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM