At UN, Saudi Arabia Says 47 Executed Were Granted Fair Trials

UNITED NATIONS: Saudi Arabia defended its judicial process at the United Nations on Monday, saying that 47 people executed at the weekend had been granted "fair and just trials without any consideration to their intellectual, racial, or sectarian affiliation."

The Saudi UN mission expressed "deep regret" that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had raised concerns about the nature of the charges and fairness of the trials of those executed, which included a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric.