Saudi Arabia beheads two men for murder
Saudi Arabia has beheaded two convicted murderers involved in separate cases, taking to 31 the number of executions in the kingdom this year.
The two Saudi men, identified as Nawaf al-Shemmari and Saad al-Houzaimi, were beheaded in the capital city of Riyadh on Sunday, the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency.
The men were found guilty on separate incidents over charges of stabbing their respective relatives.
The latest beheading brings to 31 the number of people executed in the kingdom so far this year. Last year, Saudi authorities executed 87 people, up from 78 recorded in 2013.
Concern is growing about the increasing number of executions in Saudi Arabia. International human rights groups have applied pressure on authorities to reconsider executions, particularly those for non-fatal crimes.
Muslim clerics have also slammed Riyadh for indicting and then executing suspects without allowing them to defend themselves, describing the Saudi authorities as uncivilized.
Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Saudi rule.
Saudi Arabia, ruled by a hereditary royal system, enjoys the full support of its close ally, the United States.
GMA/HSN/SS
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