Saturday, May 30, 2009

Convicted killer beheaded, put on display in Saudi Arabia

By Stephanie Gesselle


On Friday, a Saudi Arabian man was beheaded for murder. The man was sentenced to death for the murder of an 11 year old boy and his father. The boy was kidnapped, tied, up and strangled to death. The boys father came to find him and the murderer axed the father to death. The head of the murderer Al-Anzi was publicly displayed. The ministry argues that the head must be displayed as a warning and deterrent to others.
The display has caused major controversy among human rights agencies. According to the Saudi Interior Ministry the man was sentenced to death and crucifixion. Human rights agencies are outraged by this public display because it does not reflect Christianity in any form. According to officials the “crucifixion” was misinterpreted and the public display is not appropriate. Amnesty International issued a statement deploring the punishment, with the group's Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui saying in a statement it is "horrific" that beheading and crucifixions "still happen." They added that the death penalty is used in excess in Saudi Arabia and that the system should be monitored. In many cases individuals are not informed of their rights and our convicted based on confessions obtained through duress.

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