Saudi Arabia executes Nigerian man after he was convicted of killing a police officer

Saudi authorities have executed a Nigerian man after convicting him of
murdering a police officer, AFP reports. It was the 95th execution of
the year in the ultra-conservative
Muslim kingdom, which imposes the death penalty for offences including
murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy. The surge in
executions has drawn concern from human rights groups.

Fahd Houssawi was executed on Sunday, May 29 in the western city of Taif, the
interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news
agency. He had been found guilty of strangling a policeman and beating
him to death, the ministry said.

Houssawi had knocked the man to the ground before hitting his head
repeatedly into the ground, beating him to death. He then injured
another man in his attempt to escape.

Amnesty International has warned that at the current rate
Saudi Arabia could see more than 100 executions in the first half of
2016.

The London-based watchdog said the kingdom carried out at least 158
death sentences last year, making it the third most prolific executioner
after Iran and Pakistan. Its figures do not include secretive China.

The executions this year are higher than at the same point last year, Amnesty said.

Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi
executions, although 47 people were put to death for “terrorism”
offences on a single day in January.