Saudi executes 7 men convicted of armed robbery: Witness
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Buy SPH photosRIYADH (AFP) - Saudi Arabia on Wednesday executed seven men convicted of armed robbery despite last-minute appeals by international rights groups that their lives be spared, a witness in the southern city of Abha said.
The execution was "implemented a while ago at a public square in Abha," the witness told AFP by telephone, adding that the defendants were "shot dead" and not beheaded as is customary in the kingdom.
The announcement came soon after Amnesty International released a statement renewing calls on the Saudi authorities to halt the executions.
They "look set to be shot on Wednesday morning," said Amnesty, which described the executions as "sheer brutality."
