Executions in Saudi Arabia
PlanetOut, July
11, 2000
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of the Interior announced the executions of three men on
July 11 in Abha, Asir for charges relating to homosexuality and pedophilia. Attiya bin
Ubaid Attiya, Rajeh bin Ibrahim Issa and Rajhi bin Hamad bin Ali were beheaded for sodomy,
cross-dressing and same-gender marriage, as well as drugging and raping boys and
photographing them for purposes of extortion. In the announcement the sodomy and
cross-dressing charges were described as "the extreme obscenity of homosexuality and
imitating women." Beheading was the method of execution.
Saudi Arabia follows Islamic law, but Amnesty International has complained that
suspects do not always get fair trials. The country currently leads the world in
executions, and the three men brought this year’s total to at least 65, possibly 68.
[Ed. note: According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia reported 103 executions in
1999, placing it third in number of executions behind China (1,077) and Iran (165) and
ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo (100) and the United States (98).]
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