SAUDI ARABIA EXECUTES AMERICAN CITIZEN CONVICTED OF PATRICIDE
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates— In a shocking turn of events, Saudi Arabia carried out the execution of a US citizen convicted of killing his father on Wednesday. Identified as Bishoy Sharif Naji Naseef by the Saudi Interior Ministry, he was guilty of beating and strangling his Egyptian father to death.
The ministry’s statement revealed further gruesome details, stating that Naseef had consumed narcotics, mutilated his father’s body after the brutal murder, and even attempted to take the life of another person before his arrest. The nature of the execution was not specified in the statement; however, it is widely known that Saudi Arabia typically employs beheading as the method of execution.
Naseef’s lawyer was unavailable for comment, and it remains unknown if the convicted felon had an address in the United States. The US State Department also failed to respond immediately to requests for comment regarding the case.
Amnesty International reports Saudi Arabia as one of the countries with the highest number of executions in 2022, trailing behind China and Iran. Although there was a reduction in executions during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the numbers have been steadily rising in recent years. Notably, Riyadh recorded its largest mass execution ever in March 2022 when 81 individuals faced the death penalty.
Human rights organizations have long criticized Saudi Arabia’s judicial system for its use of the death penalty and alleged disregard for fair trial standards. They argue that these executions go against international human rights principles and call for a global effort to abolish capital punishment.
The news of the execution has sent shockwaves through the international community, raising questions about the implications this may have on the already strained relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Further scrutiny of the Saudi judicial system is expected in the wake of this controversial incident.