Public executions in Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, as in many Islamic countries, crime and punishment is based on Sharia Law (derived from the teachings of the Qu’ran and hadith). Sharia Law dictates specific punishments for different crimes. Some crimes that are punishable by death include:

• Murder
• Apostacy
• Blasphemy
• Idolatry
• Homosexuality
• Sedition
• Witchcraft and sorcery
• Adultery
• Drug use/trafficking

There is more than one way in which an execution may be carried out in Islam. The sentence for Apostacy, or the repentance of one’s faith, is a public beheading, while the sentence for Adultery is death by stoning. Executions may occur within prison boundaries or in a public square, depending on court ruling. Of the 6,221 executions known to have taken place around the world from 2007-2012 (excluding China), 423 (6.8%) were carried out in Saudi Arabia.^[1] The government does not release figures on executions in the Kingdom^[2] but human rights organisations keep tab.

Crimes

Witchcraft and sorcery

Cases

Muree bin Ali bin Issa al-Asiri, who was found in possession of talismans, was executed in the southern Najran province in June 2012. A Saudi woman, Amina bin Salem Nasser,^[3] was executed for allegedly practising sorcery and witchcraft in December 2011 in the northern province of Jawf, and a Sudanese man (Abdul Hamid Bin Hussain Bin Moustafa al-Fakki) was executed in a car park in Medina for the same reason in September 20, 2011.^[4][5][6] (Ali Hussain Sibat, a Lebanese host of a popular fortune-telling TV program was arrested while in Saudi in May 2008 on Umrah and sentenced to death but given a reprieve.)

Qisas

Qisas, or retribution, is a common principal in Sharia Law. It is a form of mirror punishment commonly known as “an eye for an eye.” Eye gougings and limb amputations are not uncommon in the middle east. In the case of murder, the victim’s relatives are given the option to execute the offender, demand monetary compensation for the death of their relative (also known as blood money) or they may pardon them.

Types of punishment

Beheading

A public beheading will typically take place around 9am. The convicted person is walked into the square and kneels in front of the executioner. The executioner uses a sword known as a sulthan to remove the condemned person's head from his or her body at the neck. Sometimes it may take several strikes before victim is decapitated.^[7] After the criminal is pronounced dead, a loudspeaker announces the crimes committed by the beheaded alleged criminal and the process is complete. This is the most common method of execution in Saudi Arabia because it is specifically called for by Sharia Law.^[8] Professional executioners behead as many as ten people in a single day.^[8] The severed head is usually sewn back on,^[9] and sometimes put on crucifixes for public display. In 2011, an Indonesian maid’s dead body was hung from a helicopter for display.^[8]

Stoning

Stoning (Rajm) in Saudi Arabia is often reserved for men and women accused of specifically of adultery (sexual relations with another person while married). When convicted (and there must be credible witness statements from multiple men), the perpetrator will be buried up to their chest or knees in a ditch. Next, a group of people will repeatedly throw stones at the buried person until they are confirmed deceased. This method leaves no one person clearly to blame for the death.

Lashing

Although not a form of capital punishment, lashings are often carried out in the same public squares as executions. A typical lashing sentence is anywhere from 80-100 lashes, depending on the offense. In 2011 a 13 year old schoolgirl was sentenced to 90 lashings in front of her classmates as punishment for abusing a teacher.^[10]

References

External links

• ABC News: Saudi Arabia's Beheading of a Nanny Followed Strict Procedures