8 Bangladeshi men have been executed in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on Friday.
The migrant workers, who were beheaded in public, were sentenced to death for the alleged murder of an Egyptian man in April 2007.
Since the end of the Holy month of Ramadan, executions have resumed in Saudi Arabia at an alarming rate.
“Court proceedings in Saudi Arabia fall far short of international standards for fair trial and news of these recent multiple executions is deeply disturbing,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Middle East and North Africa.
“The Saudi authorities appear to have increased the number of executions in recent months, a move that puts the country at odds with the worldwide trend against the death penalty.”
“The government must establish an immediate moratorium on executions in the Kingdom and commute all death sentences, with a view to abolishing the death penalty completely,” she added.
The beheadings bring the number of executions in Saudi Arabia this year to at least 58, more than double than the 2010 figures. 20 of those executed in 2011 were foreign nationals.
The Bangladeshi men who were executed are Ma'mun Abdul Mannan, Faruq Jamal, Sumon Miah, Mohammed Sumon, Shafiq al-Islam, Mas'ud Shamsul Haque, Abu al-Hussain Ahmed, Mutir al-Rahman.
According to reports, the Egyptian man was killed during a clash between the Bangladeshi workers and a group of men who allegedly were stealing electric cable from a building complex where the Bangladeshis worked.
3 other Bangladeshis were sentenced to prison terms and flogging.
2 other Saudi nationals were executed in the northern city of Tabuk, bringing the total number of executions on Friday to ten.
Many of those executed in Saudi Arabia in recent years have been foreign nationals, mostly migrant workers from poor and developing countries. Defendants often have no defence lawyer and are unable to follow court proceedings in Arabic. They are also rarely allowed formal representation by a lawyer, and in many cases are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them.
They, and many of the Saudi Arabians who are executed, also have no access to influential figures such as government authorities or heads of tribes, nor to money, both crucial factors in paying blood money or securing a pardon in murder cases.
Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences.
They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception.
At least 158 people, including 76 foreign nationals, were executed by the Saudi Arabian authorities in 2007. In 2008 some 102 people, including almost 40 foreign nationals, were executed.
In 2009, at least 69 people are known to have been executed, including 19 foreign nationals and in 2010, at least 27 people were executed including 6 foreign nationals.
Source: Amnesty International, October 7, 2011
Saudi beheading of 8 Bangladesh workers condemned
There are many thousands of Bangladeshi migrant workers across the Middle East.
The public execution of 8 Bangladeshi migrant workers in Saudi Arabia has been condemned by a leading human rights group in Bangladesh, Ain O Salish Kendra.
The workers were beheaded in public in Riyadh on Friday after they were found guilty of killing an Egyptian in 2007.
Three other Bangladeshis were sentenced to prison terms and flogging in the same case.
More than two million Bangladeshis work in Saudi Arabia.
The human rights group says the execution of Bangladeshi workers should be condemned by anyone who cares for humanity.
It says that although the executions were carried out in accordance with Saudi law, the public beheading of the workers will cause immense suffering and trauma for their family members back at home.
It points out that often foreign workers don't understand Saudi court proceedings in Arabic and they rarely get lawyers to represent their case.
It has urged the Bangladeshi government to offer legal assistance to migrant workers facing trial.
The money sent home by migrant workers in Bangladesh play a crucial role in the country's economy.
Amnesty International says since the end of the holy month of Ramadan, executions have resumed in Saudi Arabia at an alarming rate.
The latest beheadings bring the total number of executions in the country this year to 58, more than twice the figure for the whole of 2010.
It says many of those executed in recent years have been foreign nationals, mostly migrant workers from developing countries.
It has called on the Saudi government for an immediate moratorium on executions and to commute all death sentences.
Source: BBC News, October 9, 2011
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