The death penalty in Saudi Arabia. Death penalty in Saudi Arabia

Are applied in modern world executions? Saudi Arabia currently has the most severe crime punishment system on earth.

What are the penalties

The Penal Code, as well as the constitution of the state, dictate the norms of Sharia. This country is the only country in the world in which there is still torture, public whipping, and execution by hanging or beheading. Public executions in Saudi Arabia are shocking to Europeans, but for the local population it is commonplace.

There is officially the profession of "executioner" here. He has the status of a civil servant.

Besides cutting off the head, it is used to death as well as firing squad. There are even crucifixions of a body without a head.

How they are executed in Saudi Arabia

The moment of punishment is a whole ceremony. These customs reached the XXI century in a slightly modified form from the Middle Ages.

All executions in Saudi Arabia are performed after lunchtime prayers in the main square. The area is cleared by the police from cars and residents.

A person sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia with a blindfold or a bag on his head is brought to his knees. The police announce the decision and allow the execution of the sentence to begin. The executioner receives a sword from the hands of an officer. He comes to the criminal from behind and, before cutting off his head, swings his sword several times. To quickly stop the flow of blood, a medical officer is at the place of execution every time.

The body of a criminal without a head is not buried in a coffin and without a tombstone, usually immediately after the execution of the sentence. Now you know what executions in Saudi Arabia are. Photos clearly demonstrate how this act is carried out.

Equality

In the early 90s, such punishment was applied only to the stronger sex, but today it happens quite often in Saudi Arabia. In this area, equality between the sexes. By early 2007, 42 women had been executed.

What is not forgiven here

Crimes for which Saudi Arabia is provided:

• premeditated murder;
• homosexuality;
• adultery;
• rape;
• treason;
• smuggling, sale, possession and use of drugs;
• terrorism or call for terrorism.

Instead of execution

In Saudi Arabia, there is such a measure of punishment as inflicting the same mutilation on the offender with which he "awarded" the victim. Proceeding from the victims of crimes can demand that the perpetrator inflict the same injury that was received from him as a result of the attack.

Typical case

Several years ago, during a fight, one of the participants, Abdul-Aziz Mutairi, was stabbed from behind and remained paralyzed for life. The culprit was caught and sentenced to two years in prison. But after six months, he fell under the amnesty and was released.

Abdul appealed to the court with a request to condemn his abuser according to the laws; a decision was made to turn to doctors in order to turn the perpetrator into a disabled person. However, doctors do not agree to harm the patient, as they took the Hippocratic oath.

More examples

According to one of the news portals, not so long ago the death penalty was carried out in Saudi Arabia concerning a pedophile and a murderer. At first he was publicly raped, then his head was cut off, and then the body was crucified on a cross and put up for desecration by all present.

Such a fairly severe execution overtook the local owner of the shop. He was found guilty of the particularly brutal murder of a child and his father. According to the materials of the case, the man stole the child, raped him and strangled him using a rope. And at the moment of his father's arrival, he killed him using a knife.

Plus, he was exposed in the rape of five boys, one of whom fled after the incident into the desert and died there. They managed to find the pervert and the killer with the help of an 8-year-old boy who became one of his victims. When arrested, the suspect resisted by attacking the police with a knife and trying to cut them.

Another perpetrator was convicted of homosexuality and possession of a range of pornographic films. In this country, this is considered the most serious crime. A huge number of these cases can be found and read, in addition, there are many different videos on this topic on the Web. In the recordings, you can see in detail how the death penalty takes place in Saudi Arabia. But not everyone can watch it from beginning to end.

An eye for an eye in the literal sense

About eleven years ago, an Egyptian worker was indeed blinded as punishment. Such a sentence was passed for the fact that a foreigner poured acid in the face of another person, due to which the victim became blind. The victim did not want to accept financial assistance in the form of 87,000 pounds sterling and insisted precisely on revenge under Sharia law. In 2008, the court sentenced the culprit to acid blinding.

Statistics

The death penalty in Saudi Arabia is breaking all records. Human rights defenders highlight the fact that this punishment is most often used in relation to emigrants and poor local residents. In 2014, 84 people were sentenced to death. Based on information from the ministry, 56 people were sentenced to death in the first three months of 2015. If the pace is not suspended, then by the end of this year the number of those sentenced may reach 200 or more. Compared to other years in which the figures ranged from 70 to 80 executed, the number is disastrously high.

"Do not go, children, to walk to Africa ..."

The hardest part is for emigrants, because the language barrier makes the justification process almost impossible. Ordinary workers who come from poorer countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Yemen do not speak Arabic or speak it very poorly. They account for up to 40% of all those executed in Saudi Arabia.

Most observers note that in relation to visitors, the court enforces decisions with a conviction much more often than in relation to the indigenous inhabitants of this country. It is also worth noting that emigrants cannot afford to pay for the services of local lawyers.

Differences from generally accepted norms

Justice in Saudi Arabia is irrelevant to the world's fair trial standards. The actual trials are held in secrecy and with a minimum number of participants. The accused can be found guilty even without sufficient evidence, based on the confessions of the suspect himself, which are often pulled out by torture during the investigation. A guilty verdict can only be rendered on the basis of third party testimony. Although if deception is revealed, then false witnesses will also be executed. It happens that relatives are not informed in advance about the sentence to execution.

The death penalty in Saudi Arabia can be applied in relation to those crimes that are not particularly serious in the opinion international law... These include: betrayal of one of the spouses, robbery with a weapon, rape and magic.

Paradox or pattern

Many countries agree that the death penalty violates the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that it must be abolished everywhere, that a person has no right to judge God's judgment.

In response to this, I would like to say that according to the same statistics, the lowest crime rate is in Saudi Arabia: it is safe to wander the street at night, theft or rape is a very rare case. Europeans can only dream of this.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a controversial and mysterious country with sometimes frightening European orders. A Muslim country where only one religion is recognized - Islam with the dominant trend of Wahhabism. Where believers pray five times a day and live according to the religious laws of Sharia. Mecca of Muslim pilgrimage with hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims. The owner of 25% of the world's oil reserves and GDP per capita is not much less than even in the United States. And a country in company with China, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan, one of the five leaders in the number of cases of executions. In Saudi Arabia, this institution of punishment still exists today.

Public policy

The country is an absolute theocratic monarchy with a current cabinet of ministers. The set of rules or, in the West, the constitution is the Koran. Justice is based on a religious foundation and is represented by a Sharia court. The word "justice" is applicable very conditionally, since there is no criminal code in the country, and the judge makes decisions on the basis of Sharia law. There are two types of police in the country: ordinary and religious - the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue or Mutawa. It is she who is called to monitor the observance of the ethical standards of the Koran and the fulfillment of all prohibitions.

Features of Saudi justice

According to Sharia law, three types of punishments are applied:

Procedural features

A confession and an oath are enough for a charge in a Sharia court. There are no restrictions for mentally ill people and under the age of majority. There is no difference between citizens of the kingdom and foreigners. A lawyer is an unnecessary and unaffordable luxury, even when it comes to executions in Saudi Arabia. Recently, there is no difference in punishment based on gender.

Saudi Arabia: Scourging

It is this type of punishment that most often gets into the news columns of Western media. This type of execution is not more common in Saudi Arabia than in all Muslim countries. Although we will not dissemble - here they beat much more often and harder. The record number of lashes - four thousand - was ordered in 1990. Egyptian Muhammad Ali al-Sayyid received such a sentence for robbery. The Shariah judge declared such a punishment to be a mercy, because initially they wanted to cut off the hand of the convicted person.

The merciful Sharia themis divides the number of lashes and prolongs the punishment for a long time. Few can withstand a hundred lashes, so the victim is given a rehabilitation period, and then the execution is resumed.

Such executions in Saudi Arabia are public, carried out with a crowd of citizens.

Decapitation and other horrors

A public punishment, terrible for a Western person, is the beheading and subsequent crucifixion for educational purposes. This is almost a ceremonial murder that came from the darkness of the Middle Ages. The executions take place in the main square after lunchtime prayer. The beheading is carried out by the executioner - there is such a position in the kingdom, it is inherited in the family of al-Bysshi. The presence of a doctor is mandatory. Horror!

Prohibition of alcohol - how they are executed in Saudi Arabia

The consumption, manufacture and storage of alcohol is strictly prohibited by Sharia law. The punishment is in the form of lashes. The case with Briton Karl Andy is indicative. A seventy-three-year-old man was found with a bottle of homemade wine. Despite suffering from asthma and cancer, Karl spent nearly a year in prison awaiting 350 strokes. The pinnacle of diplomacy can be called the efforts of the embassy employees, who, under the threat of deteriorating relations, were able to take the sick Briton home.

But what is forgivable to the allies of the Wahhabi state is completely unforgivable to all others and is subject to severe execution in Saudi Arabia. For example, a resident of the Philippines Faustino Salazaro received four months in prison and 75 lashes just for buying a couple of packages of chocolate with liquor inside Duty Free Bahrain.

Debauchery and adultery

Preventing these acts that are contrary to the Qur'an is an important part of Shariah justice. Moreover, the actions are interpreted ambiguously and very broadly. An illustration is the case that occurred in 2006 and was covered by the Western press as "the rape in Katif." Seven men kidnapped the couple in the car and abused both of them. A Shariah judge determined the punishment for the rapists in the form of several hundred lashes and long prison terms. But the victims, who were accused of debauchery, also got it, because these people were not spouses. They were also sentenced to six months in prison and 200 lashes. The Western world exploded with indignant protests. Under pressure from the world community, King Abdullah canceled the judge's decision regarding the victim, although he called the judge's actions fair for such a Muslim country as Saudi Arabia. Executions of people for such crimes must be harsh, he stressed in an interview with Western journalists.

You can lose your head for same-sex sex

Homosexuality is brutally persecuted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The executions for this crime can be the most brutal. Yet this phenomenon is quite common. The education system is based on gender segregation, minimizing contacts between men and women before marriage leads to the development of homosexual manifestations among young people.

In addition, there is a kind of tacit agreement between LGBT communities and the country's authorities. Homosexuals openly respect the norms of Wahhabism, and the authorities do not notice the personal life of this category of subjects. Excesses often happen, but more often the judges' sentences are rather mild.

The worst executions in Saudi Arabia are for witchcraft

For vigilant neighbors and colleagues in the country created hotline for reports of citizens who practice magic or witchcraft. The verdict of the court is unambiguous - cutting off (decapitation) of the head and crucifying the body as an edification to all living and an example of how apostates are executed in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the presence of the Koran in the toilet may be sufficient for the prosecution, as happened in 2007 with the pharmacist from Egypt Mustafa Ibrahim.

Most often, foreign migrant workers suffer from fighters against magic. Two Asian maids in 2013 "got off easily" with 1000 lashes and ten years behind bars for inflicting magical damage on an employer, the mere statement of which was enough to execute women.

In Saudi Arabia, according to international organization Amnesty International, 154 people were executed in 2016. This figure is not much less than in 2015 (158). The cruel execution in Saudi Arabia, photo examples of which filled the pages of the media, cannot leave the Western viewer indifferent. Asking the question of how this could be in a prosperous state of the 21st century, the answer is found in the Koran, a book written in 600 AD. According to this ancient source, all sins are criminal offenses and provide for just such harsh punishments... And that this does not correspond to the norms of international law and modern ideas about humanism - as they say, "don't go, kids, to walk to Africa." Of course, if you are not a Wahhabite Muslim.

A large, oil-rich Middle Eastern country that borders Yemen, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan, Saudi Arabia is the most influential power on the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia is the "Land of Two Shrines", home to the oldest Islamic cities, and one of the few states with an absolute monarchy. She is the only one with access to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The kingdom is beautiful, of course, but its traditions of treating women and the use of the death penalty are controversial issues for the whole world. Saudi Arabia also leads the OPEC oil cartel, which has a huge impact on the global oil market.
One day the Kingdom invaded civil war in Yemen, supporting the government against Houthi militants. But the help on the side does not exclude the presence of its own problems: the decline in oil prices, internal political differences and attempts to diversify the economy. In the understanding of the West, this country is an anachronism, where the fundamentalist interpretation of Islam is an absolute law, and where a woman is prohibited from driving. But on the other hand, here are the roots great history and the cultures to which millions of Muslims flock annually for the pilgrimage of the Hajj and the vast oil fields.
Here are 15 amazing facts about the oil Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:
15. NO ELECTIONS, PARLIAMENT, POLITICAL PARTIES AND DISCUSSION

Absolute monarchy reigns here, there are no national elections, political parties and a representative parliament, there is only a symbolic council body of the Mejlis ash-Shura, or the Consultative Assembly, which does not have the authority to pass laws and enforce them. This open disregard for democratic norms has been going on for decades. Along with the most violent dictatorial countries, Saudi Arabia regularly receives the lowest scores for civil and political freedom from think tanks like Freedom House.
There is no constitution either, although a charter known as the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia, passed by royal decree in 1992, obliges the monarch to rule, observing Sharia and the Koran instead of the Constitution. Criticism and dissent are strictly prohibited: activists are regularly imprisoned and sentenced to severe punishments. Examples: Abd al-Karim, who demanded a transition to a constitutional monarchy and received 8 years in prison for this, and blogger Raif Badawi, who received 1,000 lashes for calling for freedom of speech.
14. HOUSE OF THE HOLY ISLAMIC CITIES


Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and the most sacred religious sites - Mecca and Medina. Kaaba 13 meters high is the most sacred place in the Great Mosque of Mecca, the holiest mosque in Islam. All Muslims direct their prayers to her. One of the five pillars of Islam requires that every Muslim make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his life, if he has the strength and finances for that. An estimated two million people visit Saudi Arabia every year.
It is not hard to guess that the abundant congestion of pilgrims in one place could lead to serious problems, such as the stampede in 2015, which killed and injured, according to some sources, more than 2,000 people.
13. ALL EXECUTION DOES NOT ENOUGH EXECUTIONERS


The death penalty is widespread in Saudi Arabia. In 2015, the authorities saw them off every other day. The country ranks 4th in the world in terms of the number of executions, they are committed for reasons such as adultery and rejection of Islam. In most cases, the execution is carried out by cutting off the head with a scimitar. The kingdom may be the only country that suffers from a shortage of executioners: in early 2013, the government thought about changing the method of execution due to the lack of executioners. The priority is given to the method of execution.
In addition, Saudi Arabia is one of four countries where public executions remain. Diyera Square in the center of Riyadh is a famous site of public beheadings, known locally as "chop-chop square".
12. HUGE OIL RESERVES


What words come to mind when mentioning Saudi Arabia? Since the Kingdom is the largest exporter of crude oil, its name is synonymous with everything related to oil and gas. More than half of GDP comes from oil industry profits. Oil reserves are simply unrealistic: the largest Gavar field can accommodate 4,770,897 Olympic pools. It is estimated that even after decades of pumping oil for export, there are still about 75 billion barrels left.
Saudi Arabia has 22 percent of the world's oil reserves, only Venezuela has more. In 1960, the Kingdom was one of the founders of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Because of the large-scale oil industry, 30 percent of the country's population is foreign workers.
11. THE LARGEST COUNTRY WITHOUT SINGLE RIVER


Saudi Arabia's area of \u200b\u200bmore than 2 million square kilometers puts it in 13th place in the world in terms of territorial size. More than 95 percent are deserts and semi-deserts, many of which are the largest on earth (Big Nefud in the north and Rub al-Khali in the south). Due to the abundance of deserts and average temperature about 45 degrees Celsius in Saudi Arabia there are no rivers and lakes, but underground water bodies flow.
It is the largest country in the Middle East, it is most The Arabian Peninsula (about a quarter of the United States) is the largest territorial entity in the world without a single river on the map.
10. ROYAL FAMILY COSTS $ 14 TRILLION


As the head of the House of Saud, the monarch and thousands of his royal relatives hold all the important offices of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The royal power of this country would be the coveted object of any medieval court; King Salman's net worth is estimated at more than $ 17 billion, and more than 7,000 family princes (some estimate about 30,000 members of the royal nobility) occupy important positions while more talented candidates are left behind due to the wrong surname.
From the state oil monopoly, the royal family makes huge profits, which are estimated at about 270 billion a year.
In fact, if you imagine all the wealth royal family Saudi Arabia as a single sum, you get about $ 14 trillion.
9. SEVERE PUNISHMENT

We've already mentioned the brutal laws of Saudi Arabia, how about punishments? It turns out that they are no better: the legal system uses the same ultra-conservative and traditionalist Hanbali school as the basis of jurisprudence as the terrorist Islamic State. The legal process takes place exclusively on the basis of a certain interpretation of Islamic law.
The authorities' punishments include chopping off arms and legs for theft, whipping and stoning for adultery and other acts, cutting off the head for riots, political crimes, drug smuggling and witchcraft. Death sentences are also imposed for blasphemy, homosexuality and violent robbery. Saudi Arabia has been unresponsive to ever-growing pressure to liberalize its legal system and has consistently applied punishment and the death penalty.
8. DANGEROUS SIDEWALK SKIING


This is a pretty bold entertainment, fraught with "funny" danger. The trick consists of moving on two wheels from one side of the car along the roadway, during which a person climbs onto the car and stands on its top along the entire movement. Fans of this entertainment treat it with a purely sports interest, but this is one of the most useless and dangerous inventions that humanity has ever betrayed.
In one video, a team of such "stuntmen" get out of the car to change the tire. All this happens on the go. To say “Don't try this at home” is to say nothing.
7. TENT SETTLEMENT


Initially, the pilgrims took tents with them on the journey and set them up on the plains of Mina. In the 1990s, the Saudi Arabian government made housing easier for religious tourists by setting up a camp site with regular cotton tents. But in 1997, a fire broke out in the settlement, killing 350 pilgrims. After that, a new camp with fire-resistant tents was organized. Mina City has 100,000 air-conditioned tidy fireproof tents with kitchen and bathroom. In fact, this is a modern residential complex.
The state-of-the-art tents can accommodate around 3 million people. For about 5 days a year, they are occupied by pilgrims, and the rest of the time they are empty. The kingdom received a flurry of global criticism after refusing to host Syrian refugees there.
6. THE PROBLEM WITH WOMEN'S LINGERIE


Women are virtually prohibited from working outside the home. This causes embarrassing situations, such as when the salesperson in the lingerie department is a man. Embarrassed women who could not make intimate purchases because of this made an attempt to change the law. They listened, and in 2012 a decree was issued prohibiting men from working in women's lingerie stores.
But the decree contradicted Sharia, which is why about a hundred stores ignored the innovation. A few months after the law came into force, they were closed. The decree is still in effect, and various inspectorates regularly monitor its implementation. If a male seller is found, shops are threatened with closure.
5. THEY HAVE A "MAGIC POLICE"


In Saudi Arabia, everything that is directly or indirectly related to magic, witchcraft and magic is prohibited. This is considered a serious crime, people were even beheaded for allegedly practicing magic. The government takes the magic threat so seriously that it even banned the Harry Potter books and created special anti-sorcery police squads. Created in 2009, the Anti-Witchcraft Group is on the Saudi Arabia's Religious Police Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Riot Prevention. They are tasked with restraining sorcerers and preventing their spells. Since 2009, more than 500 people have been prosecuted for the practice of magic.
People who are supposedly whispering spells, performing rituals, or being caught with talismans can get into very serious trouble. But the question of witchcraft is very subtle, because the original and generally recognized features of witches are as follows: they have a broom on which they fly. The legal code of Saudi Arabia leaves the decision of this question up to the judge, who must summarize whether the person is guilty of witchcraft and whether he will receive the death penalty.
4. IN THE FUTURE COUNTRY WITH THE WORLD'S HIGHEST BUILDING


The most anticipated event for all people the globe - construction of "The tallest building in the world". On this moment this position is held by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. In 2018, the title will be proudly held by the Tower of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, also known as the Royal Tower. It will be the first building in history to reach a kilometer height and will be the shining center of Saudi Arabia's new coastal city. To imagine what it will look like, imagine the World Trade Center in New York (541 meters) - here it is just over half the estimated height of the Royal Tower.
Once completed, the tower will have a hotel, observatory, offices and obscenely expensive penthouses. The preliminary cost is $ 1.2 billion. Now the project is called "the limit of engineering capabilities."
3.WOMEN'S RIGHTS IS EVEN WORSE THAN YOU THINKED


It is strongly recommended that you familiarize yourself with its laws before traveling to Saudi Arabia. IN recent times women's rights in the Persian Gulf have been a subject of social opposition. It is now the last country on earth where women are not allowed to drive. This fact attracts representatives of the media everywhere. This is just the tip of the iceberg, without a man's permission, women are prohibited from leaving home, shopping, opening a bank account, getting hired, going to school, acting as a legal entity and other official, and agreeing to an operation.
Until recently, women were unable to vote and sit on the advisory chamber of the chamber, making Saudi Arabia the last country to give the female sex the right to vote. Before his death, King Abdullah assigned a fifth of the council chamber to women and allowed them to vote, but this was more of a symbolic gesture that did not actually affect the lives of Saudi women.
2. ONE OF THE BIGGEST MILITARY BUDGETS IN THE WORLD


For a country of 33 million, Saudi Arabia's military spending is enormous. The Kingdom usually ranks 4th in the world in terms of the number of military spending, behind the United States, China and Russia, and all superpowers have a population and territory many times larger. In 2015, it stood in third place, raising the budget from $ 80 billion to over $ 87 billion.
By the way, Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries that has one of the most advanced tanks in the world - the M1 Abrams. There are about several hundred of them. In 2010-2014, the Kingdom was the second largest arms importer in the world.
1. IMPORT OF SAND AND CAMELS FROM AUSTRALIA


Yes, that's right: the sandy country actually buys sand from Australia. What for? It turns out that not a single type of Saudi sand is suitable for construction. For the construction of buildings, special alluvial sand without silica is needed (it often creates a lot of dust and difficulties for workers when sandblasting). The Kingdom receives the sand with the required properties from Australia.
Now about the camels. In Saudi Arabia, they are used to transport people and goods, and sometimes for racing. Australia is happy to export its camels, which are wild and vicious. Ironically, camels were first imported to Australia from Arabia, India and Afghanistan in the 19th century.

January 2 in Saudi Arabia 47 people were executed at one time on charges of promoting extremist ideology, terrorist activities and participation in conspiracies, including the Shiite preacher Nimr al-Nimr.

This caused a wave of indignation around the world and, above all in Shiite Iran, where protesters broke into the building of the Saudi embassy and tried to start a fire there. As a result, this led to the severance of diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran.

Almost simultaneously, the blood of those executed was spilled on the territory controlled by the "Islamic State" banned in Russia (IS, ISIS, the Arabic version of the name - Daesh). His fighters published a video in which they killed five British nationals accused of espionage.

These two incidents are an occasion to once again reflect on the fundamental kinship of the two Sharia entities, Saudi Arabia and the Islamic State, one of which enjoys public patronage from the collective West.

Scenes from the Middle Ages A typical execution scene in Saudi Arabia looks like this. Before us are many people in white robes and red turbans-gutras. The executioner brings a sharpened saber and with a light movement chops off the condemned head. The head falls on the asphalt, the executioner steps back a few steps so that he is not splashed with gushing blood.

After that we see cars passing by. According to Sharia law, the execution must be public, it must be watched by devout Muslims so that crimes are not repeated in the future. But in our time, there are few people who want to watch the execution, so the executioners simply block the busy intersection. The drivers of the stopped cars are forced to watch the execution. At the end of the execution, the fire engine quickly washes the intersection and traffic is reopened. This is Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Sharia law has been in effect on this land for hundreds of years.

Here are the impressions of such a spectacle of the photographer of the Time newspaper: “When the execution began, the rebels grabbed him by the throat. He began to resist. Three or four rebels pinned him to the ground. The man tried to protect his throat with his hands, which were still tied. He fought, but the rebels were stronger and they cut his throat. They lifted his severed head into the air. The people around began brandishing their weapons and cheering. Everyone was happy that the execution took place. This scene was like from the Middle Ages, which you usually read about in history books. The war in Syria has reached the point where a person can be mercilessly killed in front of hundreds of people who enjoy the spectacle. " This is already the city of Kefergan, a territory controlled byDaesh "Islamic State"

And here is another execution. Here, apparently, chopping off the head is not enough. Immigrants from Sri Lanka convicted of murder were first beheaded and then crucified on crosses. Their corpses will be exposed for public desecration - so that others will not disdain. Is it radicals from IS again? No, this is the city Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

How To Eat A Woman In The Kingdom Of Saudi school textbooks were even printed to educate adolescents about Sharia law. For example, they say that Jews and homosexuals should be put to death. An old idea, in general. The textbook also details how to cut off the legs and arms of criminals in case it is urgently needed.

And it did take! A 50-year-old Indian woman who worked in Saudi Arabia as a servant complained of abuse and late pay. After the maid tried to escape, the employer tied her to the balcony of her own sari and cut off her right arm. The woman was taken to a hospital in Riyadh by neighbors. Indian Foreign Ministry officials called the incident a "terrible and reprehensible incident." Despite this, the Saudi has not yet been punished.

A woman in Saudi Arabia is generally a being without rights. For example, in 2014, the country's Supreme Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Ali allowed cannibalism... Aziz Ali literally stated the following: “If a man is mortally hungry and does not find food at home, he can cut off a fragment of his wife's body and eat it. A woman should treat this decision with devotion and humility, since she is one with her husband. "

Militants Daesh The Islamic State also decided to implement the advice of Saudi textbooks. In the captured Iraqi city of Mosul, a man accused of homosexuality was thrown from the roof of a house. Dozens of people came to see the execution, including children. One of the terrorists announced into the microphone that the man had been condemned to death. People crowded around his smashed body, although the sight was not for the faint of heart. Tooth for tooth, eye for eye

However, even more brutal methods of killing are practiced in DAISH. Recently, a video of the execution of a 19-year-old Syrian army soldier appeared on the Web. The soldier was a tanker. In the video, he goes towards a terrorist tank, falls under its tracks. The car runs over a young fighter, leaving only crushed bones and a flattened brain. And here is another application of the ancient principle of talion (when punishment reproduces the harm done): a captive Jordanian pilot stands in an iron cage. He is wearing bright orange clothes doused with a flammable mixture. A fighter in light camouflage sets fire to a path of gasoline with a torch, the fire engulfs the entire cage and the executed.

But in kingdom of the Saudis there are “milder” punishments. Blogger Raifa Badawi was accused of insulting Islam. Badawi discussed religious issues on his blog and criticized the current government. For this, the Sharia state sentenced him to a thousand lashes, a fine of 1 million Saudi riyals and ten years in custody. Probably out of "philanthropy" the lashes will be delivered gradually: fifty blows every week.

Death penalty in Saudi Arabia also applies to foreigners: on May 6, 2015, five immigrants from East Africa were executed there. They were accused of killing an Indian guard and stealing his money. The Africans were beheaded, after which their corpses were hung from a helicopter. According to the authorities, this should deter others from committing such crimes.

Crushed hopes According to Western human rights activists, since January 1985, over 2.2 thousand people have been executed in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, about half of them are foreigners. Until the 90s of the last century, women in the kingdom were shot. However, then the authorities decided that ... the fairer sex should also be cut off. To determine religious affiliation, a Saudi visa contains a column on the religion of a foreigner. The country has a religious police force (muttava).

Soldiers of the Sharia Guard constantly patrol the streets and public institutions of Saudi cities in order to prevent attempts to violate the canons of Islam. If a violation is revealed, the perpetrator is punished - from a fine to a beheading.

Amnesty International's report on the death penalty noted that "there was some hope for human rights reform when King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud took the throne in early 2014, but they are now completely crushed."

The death penalty is protected at the state level in Saudi Arabia. The President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, Bandar Al-Ayban, said the kingdom cannot neglect the rights of victims of criminals.

Earlier, spokesman for the country's interior ministry, General Mansour At-Turki, explained the difference between the death sentence carried out in the Islamic State and Saudi practice. “IS has no legal mechanism in deciding whether to execute people,” At-Turki said.

Saudi Arabia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Faisal Trat, was recently appointed chairman of an advisory group to the UN Human Rights Council for having a "legal mechanism"?

Who is bad and who is good

Double standards have always been a part of world politics - it is enough to recall examples of different interpretations of the right of peoples to self-determination and the principle of territorial integrity.

Kosovar Albanians are allowed to separate, but Russians in Crimea are not allowed.

Jews have their own nation statebut the Kurds are not.

Slobodan Milosevic is bad, so we are bombing Yugoslavia, and Al Saud is selling oil, we press the handle.

With whom I am friends, I forgive, with whom I am not friends - I bring democracy to that ... It is necessary, however, to know the measure. It's time for our Western partners to understand that there is no principled there is no difference between the Saudi regime and the terrorist IS - and not only in the field of administration of justice.

Without waiting for the cases of beheadings of people by Islamist fanatics to turn into a stable practice not only in the Middle East, but also in the center of Western capitals - with grateful spectators, legal scholars, interpreters and executioners on a salary.

One of the key US allies in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, like the Islamic State, lives by Sharia law. Persecutions of infidels and sorcerers, public flogging and chopping off the head for edification are everyday life in the monarchy. With complete indifference of the West.

One of the main reasons for the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is called his "bloody regime" by the US and the EU. Much outrage was caused, in particular, by the government's crackdown on protesters in 2011, thanks to which the country managed to avoid a coup. The police used weapons to disperse the rioters who had succumbed to the influence of the Arab Spring. Since then, Western politicians have insisted that Assad should be in place at the head of the country.

Iran, where the death penalty is still practiced, is also included in the "axis of evil". But another major player in the Middle East - Saudi Arabia - remains the main ally. Although, in terms of human rights violations, the Saudis could give odds to both Syria and Iran combined. And the recent execution of a Shiite preacher, which has become the reason for the aggravated confrontation between Riyadh and Tehran, are only flowers.

In Saudi Arabia, executions are often carried out in large quantities, writes Lenta.ru. There are plenty of reasons for this: sexual contact outside of marriage, atheism, conversion from Islam to another religion, homosexuality, gambling, alcohol and even witchcraft. And if at the same time you ended up in prison, you are very lucky. Most often, punishment involves beating with a whip, chopping off hands or head.

The entire justice system is built on a religious foundation. The dominant religion is Islam, the dominant confession is Sunnism, the dominant religious trend is Wahhabism. In Saudi Arabia, as in the "Islamic State" *, with which the kingdom is officially at war, Sharia law is in force.

For accusation or acquittal, a simple oath is often enough. A lawyer is considered an unnecessary luxury. Executions of minors and the mentally ill are allowed. According to Sharia, a judge can impose three types of punishments: qisas (allows you to pay for the damage done with money), hadd (usually involves public lashing) and ta'zir (from an edifying conversation to chopping off the head followed by crucifixion).

Perhaps the most effective method is the head clipping. Held publicly, with a large crowd of people. After the execution, the body of the offender, as a rule, is put on public display, most often crucified - for the edification of others.

For those who like to drink, play in the casino, walk in a short top, and even publicly express their feelings - it's better not to go here. For all this, you can lose your head.

At the same time, oddly enough, homosexuality is widespread in Saudi Arabia. Many homosexuals even call Riyadh a “gay paradise”. The fact is that strict Sharia laws prohibiting sexual contact between a man and a woman outside of marriage push young men to look for a partner among their own kind. Therefore, homosexuality by mutual consent or in the form of rape has become a long-standing problem in Saudi educational institutions, where students are divided by gender. Moreover, as a rule, those against whom violence is committed - "liabilities" are subjected to public censure. "Activity" in this sense is perceived as a manifestation of masculinity, and therefore the law often turns a blind eye to such crimes.

But witchcraft here, as in the Middle Ages, is fought decisively and uncompromisingly. The accusation, as a rule, is based on reports from vigilant neighbors or subordinates. For these purposes, a special hotline has been organized. The verdict is the most severe: beheading and subsequent crucifixion. At the same time, ordinary guest workers often become victims of fighters against magic, conspiracies and genies - their status is considered below that of the indigenous Saudis, and this makes them almost defenseless.

All these are well-known facts that the Saudi authorities do not hide and are not going to soften their legal system. Many Western human rights activists are outraged, but not politicians. Against the backdrop of Riyadh's help in dumping oil prices or sponsoring "moderate" rebels in Syria, in the eyes of the West, the Saudi regime seems not bloody enough to impose vaunted American "democracy" here.

* "Islamic State" (IG) - an organization banned in the Russian Federation

Ekaterina Alonova