Yemeni beheaded for murder in Saudi Arabia

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

RIYADH, March 5, 2008 (AFP) — Saudi authorities beheaded a Yemeni by the sword on Wednesday after he was convicted of murdering a compatriot in the southwestern town of Jizan, the interior ministry said.

Abdullah al-Omari was found guilty of stabbing to death Ahmed al-Wadidi after a fist fight between the two men, said a ministry statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

The execution brings to 31 the number announced by Saudi Arabia this year.

Last year, a record 153 people were executed in the kingdom, which applies a strict version of sharia, or Islamic law. The figure compared with 37 executions in 2006, and a previous record of 113 in 2000.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking can all carry the death penalty in the...