Saudi stabber beheaded for murder by sword

A Saudi man convicted of murder was executed by the sword on Sunday in the southern city of Najran, the interior ministry said.

Hassan bin Ali Al Shihri was found guilty of stabbing to death a fellow Saudi, the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

Sunday's execution came two days after Saudi Arabia executed eight Bangladeshis and two Saudis.

The executions bring the total number of beheadings in Saudi Arabia this year to at least 57.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has accused the ultra-conservative kingdom of resuming executions "at an alarming pace" since the end of August.

Around 140 prisoners are believed to be currently on death row, according to Amnesty.

The London-based watchdog said Saudi Arabia was one of a minority of states which voted against a UN General Assembly resolution last December calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under the oil-rich Gulf state's strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

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