Saudi Arabia executes 7 men after appeals rejected
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Seven Saudi men convicted of theft, looting and armed robbery were executed on Wednesday, according to the country's official news agency, more than a week after their families and a rights group appealed to the king for clemency. A file picture of a group of young Bangladeshis stage a mock execution scene in protest to Saudi Arabia’s beheading of eight Bangladeshi workers in front of Dhaka on October 15, 2011. -- FILE PHOTO: INTERNET
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Seven Saudi men convicted of theft, looting and armed robbery were executed on Wednesday, according to the country's official news agency, more than a week after their families and a rights group appealed to the king for clemency.
The executions took place in Abha, a city in the southern region of Asir, the Saudi Press Agency said.
A resident who witnessed the execution said the seven were shot dead by a firing squad, a first in the kingdom, which traditionally has beheaded convicts sentenced to death.
The witness spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared retribution.
