Only days after Saudi Arabia defied appeals from the United Nations and executed seven young men, local authorities have beheaded and crucified a man for sodomising and murdering a Pakistani national.

Beheading
Members of Magic Movement, a group of young Bangladeshis, stage a mock execution scene in protest at a previous execution, in October 2011 (Reuters) Reuters

A notification from the country's interior ministry, released through state news agency SPA, said Mohammed Rashad Khairi Hussain, a Yemeni national, had been convicted of sodomising and killing Pashteh Sayed Khan. Under prevailing Shariah law, both actions are punishable by death. In addition, the Mail reports Hussain had also been convicted of a number of other offences, including robbery.

The execution took place in the southern city of Jizan and was followed by the crucifixion of Hussain's body. This incident brings the count of executions by beheading to 28, this year alone.Should the trend continue, it could eclipse the count of 76 from 2012.

Amnesty Releases Final Words of Executed Man

Meanwhile, Amnesty International, a US-based human rights organisation, has released what it claims to be the final words of an unidentified man, one of seven accused of armed robbery. They were found guilty and, after failing to secure a pardon from King Abdullah, were executed, by firing squad, in the city of Abha.

The released statement reads:

"I have nine hours left until I die. We found this out through friends and relatives who saw the market square being prepared for the execution. There are now seven spots in the square for seven people to be shot. It's going to be in public, in the market, in the city of Abha. We don't know what we are supposed to have done wrong. We were forced to make confessions. We were mistreated by the investigators - they took our clothes and it was winter. They tortured us by suspending us from chains on the wall. They also used psychological torture such as threatening they would bring in our mothers and torture them in front of us. I didn't kill anyone - we were tried for robbery and we were forced to confess. I hope the execution will be stopped. I wish for it to be stopped and for a fair trial and for a reinvestigation. The trial was totally unjust."

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