UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: COURT UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY OF KILLER IN FUJAIRAH

April 30, 2014: Upholding a lower court’s verdict, the Fujairah Court of Appeal sentenced an Emirati man to death for killing a compatriot with a sword following a family dispute.
The court found 35-year-old A.M.A. guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced him to capital punishment.
This was the second time the Appellate Court is upholding the death penalty. The defendant’s lawyer appealed a similar ruling issued by the court in February last year at the Federal Supreme Court, which ordered Appellate Court to hold a retrial.
The lower court’s verdict was upheld the second time as the heirs of the victim refused to accept the blood money and demanded maximum punishment.
According to the court records, the crime took place in November 2011. The 36-year-old victim, M.A.S., who hailed from Dibba Al Hisn, was surprised to see A.M.A. approaching him wielding a Ninja sword. Before he could react, A.M.A struk him in his chest and neck with the sword over a family dispute. Later, A.M.A. turned himself in to the police. (Sources: khaleejtimes.com, 03/05/2014)