Saudi Arabia beheads Pakistani national
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 18 May 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Saudi Arabia beheads Pakistani national, 18 May 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5565babb15.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 18, 2015
Saudi Arabia beheaded a Pakistani national sentenced to death for drug smuggling on May 17.
The Saudi Interior Ministry said that brings to 84 the number of executions in the kingdom this year.
The ministry said in a statement that Iftikhar Ahmed Mohammed Anayat was found guilty of attempting to traffic heroin into Saudi Arabia in balloons concealed in his stomach.
He was executed in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
The ministry has cited deterrence as a reason for its use of the death penalty despite criticism from human rights watchdogs.
Amnesty International ranked Saudi Arabia among the world's top three executioners in 2014.
Drug trafficking, rape, murder, apostasy, and armed robbery are all punishable by death under Saudi Arabia's strict version of Islamic Shari'a law.
Based on reporting by AFP and Press TV
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
