04 March 2016 :
A court sentenced a Qatari national to death by firing squad after he was found guilty of murdering his father.Rashid Abdullah Rashid al-Nuaimi stabbed his father to death in 2014, reported Doha Times.
The convict told the court that he was trying to break free from the grip of his father, who had grabbed his neck during an altercation.
He confessed to the crime saying he had momentarily lost control.
However, he argued that he should not be convicted on the grounds of his mental illness.
The court heard that he suffered from schizophrenia. However, two consultants from the psychiatric ward at Hamad Medical Corporation testified last November that the man was able to determine right from wrong at the time of the incident.
Qatar has not executed anyone on death row in over a decade.
Al-Nuaimi will remain in jail until his youngest brother reaches the legal age of consent and can weigh in on the death penalty decision.
This leaves open the possibility that al-Nuaimi’s sentence may be reduced to life imprisonment if the family changes its mind.
(Sources: GDN Online Desk, 01/03/2016)