Saudi Arabia beheads Syrian national for drug trafficking
Saudi Arabia has beheaded a Syrian national on charges related to drug trafficking, the kingdom’s Interior Ministry says.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the ministry said the sentence was carried out in the northwestern Jawf region against Abdullah Mohammed al-Ahmad al-Anzi for smuggling amphetamine pills.
The recent execution brings to 27 the number of foreigners and Saudis beheaded in the country so far this year. Last year, Saudi authorities executed 87 people, up from 78 recorded in 2013.
The country has come under particular criticism from rights groups for executions carried out for non-fatal crimes.
Muslim clerics have also criticized Riyadh for indicting and then executing suspects without giving them a chance to defend themselves, describing the Saudi authorities as uncivilized.
Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking all carry the death penalty under the Saudi penal code.
AKH/MKA/SS
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