Saudi beheads man for girl's murder
Saudi Arabia has beheaded a man convicted of murdering a young female relative after sexually assaulting her, the interior ministry said.
Sami al-Mekhlafi took the girl to a deserted area before sexually assaulting and strangling her until she passed out, and then hit her on the head with a tent pole until she died, the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.
He was executed in the western city of Medina, bringing to three the number of executions in Saudi Arabia so far this year.
According to an AFP count, the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom carried out 76 executions last year.
Amnesty international has repeatedly called on Riyadh to impose a moratorium on executions.
Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.
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William Calleja
Jan 6th, 10:54
To whoever is all excited and in a rush at the prospect of introducing the death penalty, firstly the authorities that passed the convictions are no better than the criminal they were convicting.
Secondly, would you seriously entrust the lives of every citizen on the island to the current judicial system? erroneous imprisonment can be somewhat ratified, but nobody walks out of death row.
Charles Zammit
Jan 5th, 09:15
They do , do something right in the Mid East !!
M. Bartolo
Jan 4th, 22:13
To the 8 commentors below:
And we call ourselves Christians? I thought that while Jesus was on Earth preaching, he was against the eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth principle!
I am not saying he should not be punished, but killing another human being is not the answer...what if it is found that he was wrongly convicted?
Mr Edward Muscat
Jan 4th, 21:38
I guess you all claim to be Christians...
MALCOLM SEYCHELL
Jan 4th, 20:41
This is one of the few good parts of sharia law. It should be also introduced in europe. If this animal did this in Malta he would get a suspended sentence.
Paul vassallo
Jan 4th, 20:05
MALTA SHOULD INTRODUCE THE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR MURDERES
mark borg
Jan 4th, 17:12
may he rot in hell
John Cauchi
Jan 4th, 15:22
This law should be considered in our Maltese laws
Neville Cutajar
Jan 4th, 14:36
I believe he learned a lesson and the lesson is thought to many others through example. I guess Saudi Arabians do not believe in the suspended sentences given out by Maltese courts.
Mr Emmanuel Bonnici
Jan 4th, 14:28
A well deserved punishment.
Andreas Moser
Jan 4th, 13:53
Isn't our Foreign Minister just in Saudi Arabia?
Well, doesn't matter, we want the oil...
Kenneth Bonnici
Jan 4th, 15:22
what do you mean? this is one thing they do better, over here he would be out on probation waiting to attack the next victim.
Charlie Christ Abela
Jan 5th, 12:54
what is our foreign minister supposed to do? Stop them? With all the respect if Amnesty international cannot do anything so does our foreign minister