11 June 2013 :
Saudi Arabia is actively soliciting applicants who can be trained to behead people sentenced to death under Sharia law, according to Vatican Insider. While the problem may shine a light on Saudi Arabia's frightening justice system, it also could show a more humane population, according to the Asia Times.“Fewer people are interested in a "career" in executing others, a task that requires a lot of cold blood and a lot of training to be able to swing a sword properly,” Asia Times reported.
The executioners who are on the job are doing double duty, as the number of death penalties meted out has not slowed.
Faced with the shortage of executioners, the government of Saudi Arabia plans to begin carrying out the death penalty by firing squads rather than relying exclusively on beheadings, Catholic World News reported.
(Sources: foxnews.com, Catholic World News, 07/06/2013)
