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Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

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Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.

Saudi Arabia beheads own citizen in Najran

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Public beheading in Saudi Arabia
Public beheading in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has beheaded one of its own citizens after sentencing him to death on charges related to drug trafficking.

The Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency that the man known as Saleh al-Yami was beheaded in the southern province of Najran on Monday.

The man was reportedly found guilty of smuggling an undisclosed amount of hashish and banned narcotic pills into the kingdom. Yami was also convicted of wounding several policemen during a confrontation.

The latest beheading brings to 57 the number of people executed across the kingdom so far this year.

On March 24, Riyadh beheaded a Pakistani national and a Saudi man after sentencing them to death for drug trafficking and murder.

A Syrian national had a similar fate on March 18, after a court had convicted him of smuggling amphetamines into the country.

Concern is growing about the increasing number of executions in Saudi Arabia as the kingdom has seen a surge in executions this year. Last year, Saudi authorities executed 87 people, compared with 78 in 2013.

Saudi authorities say the executions reveal the kingdom’s commitment to “maintaining security and realizing justice.”

The kingdom has come under particular criticism from human rights groups for the executions carried out for non-fatal crimes.

Amnesty International says Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery, homosexuality and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under the Saudi rule.

Source: Agence France-Presse, April 6, 2015

Report an error, an omission: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com
Location: Najran Saudi Arabia
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