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RIYADH, April 28 (AFP) - Saudi Arabia decapitated three foreign nationals Friday, the Interior Ministry said in a statement, bringing to 23 the number of executions announced in the country this year, or an average of one every five days. The statement said a Sudanese man accused of a range of crimes was beheaded in Mecca, and two Indians found guilty of murder were executed, one in Riyadh, the other in Medina. The Sudanese was found guilty of raping small boys, stealing from houses and shops, car theft, consuming alcohol and general debauchery, it continued, adding the man was a repeat offender who had been expelled from the kingdom but returned and continued his crimes. The first Indian was found guilty of the premeditated murder of his elderly Saudi employer, whom he tied up and suffocated with a blanket, before making off with his money. The second Indian killed his Indian wife by repeated blows to the head with an iron bar. The conservative Gulf kingdom enforces Islamic hudud (criminal laws) and regularly imposes the death penalty on murderers, drug traffickers, rapists, armed robbers and those convicted of apostasy. The kingdom also orders the amputation of the hands – or less often feet – of convicted thieves. An Amnesty International report on the state of human rights in the country issued on March 28 has led to continuous coverage of executions and more scrutiny of the country by the media. Amnesty accused Saudi Arabia of arbitrary arrests, torture and executions, the persecution of political opponents and religious minorities and cruel judicial punishments, including amputations. The kingdom rejected the charges made by the London-based human rights organization but said it was ready for a special rapporteur to visit to check on the independence of its judicial system.
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