Saudi Arabia executes seven

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday executed seven death row inmates who had been convicted of murder and drug trafficking, state media reported. Two Saudi Arabian citizens and three nationals of Chad were executed after being sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of a Pakistani security guard, with the alleged intent of robbing the warehouse he was guarding, according to the state-run SPA agency. Another Saudi Arabian was executed for murder after setting a man on fire, SPA reported. A Lebanese national was executed for attempting to smuggle captagon into the kingdom, SPA said. Captagon, a drug popular among fighters in war zones, usually blends amphetamines, caffeine and other substances in pill form. Tuesday’s executions bring to 73 the total number of people put to death in the kingdom this year, according to a tally by AFP. Rights experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the fairness of trials in the kingdom, governed under a strict form of Islamic law. The government says the death penalty is a deterrent for further crime.

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