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Shock: 7 Saudis Set to Be Executed by Crucifixion and Firing Squad for Juvenile Jewelry Heist

Mar. 4, 2013 5:45pm Erica Ritz

Shock: 7 Saudis Set to Be Crucified Tomorrow for Stealing Jewelry as Juveniles

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz looks on during an extraordinary summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Mecca on August 14, 2012. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

(TheBlaze/AP) — Speaking over a smuggled cellphone from his prison cell, one of seven Saudis set to be put to death Tuesday by crucifixion and firing squad for armed robbery appealed for help to stop the executions.

Nasser al-Qahtani told The Associated Press from Abha General prison Monday that he was arrested as part of 23-member ring that stole from jewelry stores in 2004 and 2005. He said they were tortured to confess and had no access to lawyers.

“I killed no one. I didn’t have weapons while robbing the store, but the police tortured me, beat me up and threatened to assault my mother to extract confessions that I had a weapon with me while I was only 15,” he said. “We don’t deserve death.”

A leading human rights group added its appeal to Saudi authorities to stop the executions.

Al-Qahtani, now 24, said he and the most of the ring were juveniles at the time of the thefts. They were arrested in 2006. The seven received death sentences in 2009, the Saudi newspaper Okaz reported then.

Last Saturday, he said, Saudi King Abdullah ratified the death sentences and sent them to Abha. Authorities set Tuesday for the executions. They also determined the methods.

The main defendant, Sarhan al-Mashayeh, is to be crucified for three days. The others are to face firing squads.

In this photo released by the Saudi Press Agency, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, left, and Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, third right, pray with other royal family princes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013. (Photo: AP)

Al-Qahtani faced a judge three times during eight years in detention. He said that the judge didn’t assign a lawyer to defend them and didn’t listen to complains of torture.

“We showed him the marks of torture and beating, but he didn’t listen,” he said. “I am talking to you now and my relatives are telling me that the soil is prepared for our executions tomorrow,” he said, referring to the place where he will be standing to be fired at.

Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islamic Shariah law under which people convicted of murder, rape or armed robbery can be executed, usually by sword.

Several people were reported crucified in Saudi Arabia last year. Human rights groups have condemned crucifixions in the past, including cases in which people are beheaded and then crucified. In 2009, Amnesty International condemned such an execution as “the ultimate form of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.”

The punishment is so severe in part because, experts speculate, the offenders came from the country’s poorer south, which is generally looked down upon.

“If one person belonged to political heavyweight regions, the verdict wouldn’t have been harsh,” Political analyst Mohammed al-Qahtani said.

Ali Al-Ahmed, the head of the Washington-based Institute of Gulf Affairs, elaborated: “The south is very poor, and that is why rebellion comes from there…and this is why sentences are harsh, because Saudi authorities want to scare them.”

Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, concluded: “It will be outrageous if the Saudi authorities go ahead with these executions…It is high time for the Saudis to stop executing child offenders and start observing their obligations under international human rights law.”

This post may be updated.

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Comments (95)

sinner-saint
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 6:36pm
Nothing like a good crucifixion. Go for it. You do the crime, you do the time on the cross. It’s their country and their laws. And it’s none of our business. The U.S. needs to stay out of it.

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Dismayed Veteran
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 9:35am
Just the thought of crucifixion is horrible but Saudia Arabia is a sovereign country. This is none of our business.

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lassiegirldawn
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 12:48am
This deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, is all concerned for some punks that know their laws are very harsh, yet is doing nothing for Christians that are persecuted and locked up for reading and spreading the word of the Bible. These Bible thumpers are do much more dangerous than some punk thieves.

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Tomorrows_Thought
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 11:27pm
Capital punishment in America as implemented does not deter crime as intended and does not achieve its goals. Saudi Arabia’s capital punishment does deter crime and perhaps enables governmental crimes. In my younger days I was thumbs up for capital punishment but now I think capital punishment needs to be a thing of the past. Criminals should be placed in environments as accommodating as rat holes with other inmates making the rat hole a snakes den. If people will not respect society’s environment, they can try to survive in a prison environment…without TV and internet…no ice or warm food…nothing except time to think about how good freedom is…

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cosmic dogma
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 11:18pm
Crucifying a human being in the year 1013. An act only carried out in an islamic state. Why no public outcry? And we, in this country, think water boarding is torture. Amazing.

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thegreatcarnac
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 11:15pm
Although crucifixion seems a little over the top for a jewelery heist, these guys will be dead billboards saying,…’don’t steal’.

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ChiRho4Life
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 10:32pm
“… including cases in which people are beheaded and then crucified…” again, the sheer lack of logic amongst the troglodytes of the east shines through straight from the 7th century….hey, i know…let’s crucify the guy and then kill him even ‘deader’ by chopping of his head!! good thinking abdul!!

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twistin
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 10:20pm
CrucifFIXion…? Fercrissakes.

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texastaximan
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 10:10pm
These guys knew the penalty, it was no suprise. They do not appear to be mentally retarded or insane. That said, what is the outrage ? The harshness of the punishment does not negate the fact they chose to disobey the law with full knowledge of the usual, normal, customary penalties. No ones business but the people of Saudi Arabia. This is why they hate us Americans. We judge their culture with our eyes. Also, ever notice the crime rates for them vs us ? Could be something to that, you reckon ?

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servant100
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 9:51pm
These are barbarians…they have always been barbarians….and they will ALWAYS BE barbarians.. There is only ONE reason that we Americans put up with these idiots…they have the oil that we “need,”

But do we NEED this oil…. During the past 5 years fracking and other oil recovery technologies have expanded the usable oil and gas reserves now exploitable in the USA beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. We have literally hundreds maybe even THOUSANDS of years of reserves now available in the US….and there is absolutely NO reason whatsoever for any US refinery to import a single drop of foreign oil.

The new normal is that the USA has more oil and gas reserves than the rest of the world put together….open that up…by eliminating the stupid OBAMA administration and its environmental nutcase agencies such as EPA, Fish and WIldlife, etc…and we can build the necessary pipelines and refineries to produce and EXPORT this energy to the rest of the world.

We put up with these stupid barbarian monsters in Saudi Arabia, Libia, Syria, Iran..etc….because we Americans have believed and followed the silly myths of the radical environmental movement.

DRILL BABY DRILL….and BUILD THOSE REFINERIES…

THEN…

ABANDON THE MIDDLE EAST TO THOSE FOOLS….

While we sit in our warm American homes enjoying our CHEAP ABUNDANT AMERICAN energy for the next thousand years!!!!!!

It is about time for a SERIOUS REALITY CHECK USA!!!

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- texastaximan
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 10:13pm
  So emigrate to Arabia, begin a political movement to change their customs, laws and mores. Alternatively, park your car, buy a horse, walk, bike, etc. Those are your options. Their laws and punishments are THEIR options. Is that not simple ? You want it both ways, big car, nice life, and everyone around the globe to conform to your particular version of civility.
  
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JoeSix-Pack
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 9:50pm
Separation of church and state is a real issue in Islamic countries. This is an excellent example.

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media-bias-steals-elections
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:42pm
Every dime sent to an Islamic nation, supports the religion of Islam, violating the civil rights of Americans, and the best the UN can do, is find some kid that is going to be crucified? Where is the Egyptian cleric pleading with us to believe that the Saudi are penis worshippers for using crucifiction? Or should the Saudi crucify the Egyptian cleric and ask him if anyone is worshipping his penis?

Who should be punished the most, the thief, or the person who told the boy he would buy the goods? Females get physically altered in Islamic nations, and we’re not talking about bra sizes? That’s why suggesting we leave this discussion to the mothers to argue is not going to work?

Only God can open their hearts to alternative ways?

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MK2
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:20pm
They can’t do that in America who would run the country
Wouldn’t be a bad thing to start I say we start with BHO hang him on the White House lawn from one of those nice cherry trees and burn the crucifix
Haven’t they robed us enough

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V-MindMeld
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:12pm
I think its time for a very large meteor to hit over the middle east or something just as powerfull” and rid the world of these cockroaches. Now they are infesting our country to! where is a good exteminator when we need one! and John Kerry is giving milions of our money to Egypt now?? what gives? i just can’t comprehend it

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shorelineliz
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:10pm
Crucified in three days? And they say the Saudis don’t believe in Jesus. Welcome to Islam. So peaceful. So tolerant. Just like Jesus.

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- shorelineliz
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:30pm
  On another note:
  
  The Crucifixion is scheduled to take place on March 29th coinciding with the Christian Good Friday. The Saudi with the longest beard and **** will be placed in the middle of the other two thieves. The Saudi on the left of the Saudi in the middle accused as thief will be slated to say, “You are the son of allahu akbar! why can’t you get us out of this?” The thief on the right of the Saudi in the middle accused as thief will say, “remember me when we get into Paradise for I still want 73 virgins.” The Saudi in the middle accused as thief will say, “Jesus Christ! Who do you think I am?”
  
  Report this comment
zgomer
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:09pm
He is a law breaker in that country…we need to let the ragheads do what they want to…7 less ragheads is a good thing.

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DREDGE
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:54pm
Tough when the shoe is on the other foot!!!!
No sympathy a-hole!!!!

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barber2
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:45pm
Apparently we can take Muslims out of the 7th century, but you can’t take the 7th century out of many of them.

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Kevin M
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:42pm
Hmm. I don’t generally approve of Saudi Arabia, but this is the first time I’ve hear of armed robbery being called ‘juvenile’. The Blaze is losing it.

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JEANNIEMAC
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:28pm
George Washington warned us to “beware of foreign entanglements”. Why are our military stationed all around the world? Let other nations take care of themselves. Obama wants to “redistribute” what Americans have worked for, and give to people who don’t appreciate it, but look on us as fools.
When money is given to the heads of third world countries, it goes into their personal bank accounts, while we pour more money into building infrastructure which rival tribes destroy.
WE must realize these people are still living in the sixth century, according to laws written by a man who married a six year old girl. They mutilate their women and then use little girls and young boys for gratification. A law was recently passed allowing sodomy so as to make more room available for stashing explosives. ??!!
Bring our military home from these God-forsaken deserts, and let them war with each other as they have done for centuries.

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Beachmastermax
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:25pm
Bet they do not have alot of repeat offenders over there?
Bet they do not have a very burdensome justice system?
Bet they did not let 30,000 illegal alien criminals out of jail last week?
Bet they do not put up with illegal border crossers either?

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Lucifers Hammer
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:22pm
Sounds like the indefinite detention that Americans will soon be experiencing courtesy of Emperor NerObama ad the NDAA.

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mwallick
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:15pm
I do not understand why the Saudis are backing the Al-Qaeda in Syria. After they give Syria to the Muslim Brotherhood they will come after Jordan, then Bahrain the Saudi Arabie. It would be more pragmatic for them to back Assad. It would be to their own survival.

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Brasil2520
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:07pm
Note to self the day my life of crime starts avoid Saudi Arabia, now America is the life for crime – rob a store get a slap on wrist

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509Ptrooper
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:01pm
First we crucify, then firing squad, then water board, then behead, then kick them in the nuts, then we spit on corpse. WTF and they call my dog an animal.

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- shorelineliz
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 9:29pm
  Will you please run for President in 2016? Please. Pretty please. :-0
  
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