Saudi Arabia Beheads Man for 'Crushing' his Wife's Skull

Saudi Arabian authorities have beheaded a man convicted of beating and torturing his wife to death.

Fawzi al-Khaibari was executed on Thursday in the holy city of Medina, located in the west of the country.

The beheading is the first report of execution to emerge from the country since the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which started in July.

The month of Ramadan, during which all Muslims, except children, pregnant women and the sick are expected to fast, ended last week with the Eid-al-Fitr celebrations.

According to an AFP report, Khaibari was handed the death penalty for beating his wife and burning her with an iron.

The man then crushed her skull and left her to die. It is not clear how exactly he "crushed" his wife's skull.

News of the beheading was first reported by the SPA news agency, which carried the interior ministry's official statement.

According to AFP statistics, a total of 58 people have been beheaded in Saudi Arabia so far this year. Last year, the kingdom beheaded 76 people.

Earlier in July Saudi Arabia beheaded one of its citizens, Saleh bin Ali al-Shemmarani, for stabbing fellow Saudi national Ali bin Saeed al-Shemmarani to death in the city of Mecca.

In May, a Pakistani national was beheaded by Saudi authorities for drug trafficking. The execution was held in the capital city of Riyadh.

According to reports, the unidentified Pakistani national was convicted of trying to smuggle heroin into the country by hiding it inside his stomach.

The ultra-conservative nation follows the Islamic Sharia Law, according to which Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death.