Executed pair were minors at time of crime

Two men beheaded in Saudi Arabia at the weekend were minors when they committed the crimes, Amnesty International said, condemning the executions as "deplorable".

The London-based rights organisation said two of five men beheaded on Sunday were convicted of offences, including the abduction and rape of children, theft and consumption of alcohol and drugs, committed when they were 17 years old.

"It is cruel and inhumane to put anyone to death, but it is particularly outrageous to do so when the executions take place after grossly unfair procedures and when they take the lives of individuals accused of committing crimes when they were still minors."

Amnesty said Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad, a Saudi Arabian, and 'Issa bin Muhammad 'Umar Muhammad, a Chadian, both 17 at the time of the offences, were among seven men arrested in 2004. The men were allegedly beaten in police custody, before being tried in secret in February 2008, the organisation said.

It said two others from the group, Saudi Arabian Bilal Bin Muslih Bin Jabir al-Muwallad, and Chadian Ahmad Hamid Muhammad Sabir, were sentenced to "severe flogging" on the same charges. They were 15 and 13 at the time of the offences.

Saudi Arabia is party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits executing minors and those whose crimes were committed while they were minors.