Seven men convicted of armed robbery have been publicly beheaded in Saudi Arabia after the king rejected their families' appeals for clemency.
Human rights campaigners had called for the sentences to be quashed because the men were juveniles when they were arrested.
One
of the men told The Associated Press last month he was only 15 when he
was arrested as part of a ring that stole jewelry in 2004 and 2005.
Nasser al-Qahtani said he was tortured to confess and had no access to
lawyers.
Al-Qahtani said
that during the trial, which lasted for years, he only faced the judge
three times and when the men tried to complain about the torture or show
torture marks on their bodies, they were ignored. He also said the
judge never assigned him a lawyer. They were convicted in 2009.
The executions took place in Abha, a city in the southern region of Asir.
The
south has been marginalized and suffered discrimination by the powerful
central Saudi region where the capital, Riyadh, and holy shrines of
Mecca and Medina are located.
The
original sentences called for death by firing squad and crucifixion.
However, a security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because
he was not authorized to speak to the media, said three men with swords
carried out the executions.
Source: Daily Mail
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