Illustration by Amarjit Sidhu

SAUDI ARABIA: EIGHT MEN BEHEADED IN THREE DIFFERENT CITIES

February 5, 2015: between 3 and 5 February 2015, Saudi Arabia beheaded eight men in three different cities, the interior ministry said in separate statements carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.
Their beheadings bring the number of people executed in the kingdom this year to 25, according to an AFP tally. Saudi Arabia executed 87 people in 2014 compared to 78 in 2013.
On 1 February, Abdelrahman al-Jahni, a Saudi, was beheaded in the holy city of Medina, after being convicted of shooting another man dead during a dispute.
On 3 February, a convicted Jordanian drug smuggler, Mohammed Salamah Fareeh al-Azazma, was executed in the Jawf region after he was found guilty of "smuggling a large amount of amphetamines."
On 4 February, three Saudis were beheaded in the Muslim holy city of Mecca. Abdul Kareem bin Abdul Sattar Meezi and Hashim bin Abdo Mahragi had been convicted of kidnapping and raping a girl. Separately, Mohammed bin Ouda bin Naji al-Inzi, was beheaded in the Jawf region after being convicted of a fatal shooting.
On 5 February 2015, four Saudi men convicted of robbery and murder were executed in the eastern town of Qatif. They were convicted of luring their victim by dressing in women’s attire, stealing from him and then killing him. An independent expert working on behalf of the United Nations called in September for an immediate moratorium on executions in Saudi Arabia. “Despite several calls by human rights bodies, Saudi Arabia continues to execute individuals with appalling regularity and in flagrant disregard of international law standards,” said Christof Heyns, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. (Sources: AFP, 03-05/02/2015)