Saudi executes Syrian for drug smuggling
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s state news agency says authorities have executed a Syrian man convicted of smuggling a large quantity of amphetamine pills.
The Saudi Press Agency says Abdullah Mohammed al-Ahmed was executed Tuesday in the northwestern al-Jawf province after the Supreme Court confirmed his conviction and sentencing. It does not say how he was executed.
Saudi Arabia has executed 25 people this year, mainly for drug smuggling. Most executions in the kingdom are by beheading or firing squad.
An Associated Press tally based on SPA reporting shows 83 people were executed in Saudi Arabia in 2014.
The kingdom follows a strict interpretation of Islamic law and applies the death penalty on crimes such as murder, rape, apostasy and witchcraft. Rights groups have criticized executions carried out for non-lethal crimes.
