This Article is From May 21, 2011

Two Saudi nationals beheaded for murder

Riyadh: Two Saudis convicted of murder were beheaded on Friday in Tabuk in the kingdom's north, the official SPA news agency said, bringing to 17 the number of executions in the kingdom this year.

Awad bin Suleiman al-Huti was condemned to death for stabbing Saber bin Ayad al-Huti during a dispute, the interior minister said in a statement carried on SPA.

And Talal bin Ibrahim al-Omrani was sentenced to die for killing Attallah bin Hammad al-Omrani, also during a dispute, another statement said.

In 2010, 27 executions were reported, down from 67 in 2009 and 102 in 2008.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under the kingdom's strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.
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