SAUDI ARABIA:Saudi Arabia took the unusual step yesterday of executing three men for burgling a home and robbing its owner at knifepoint, in a sign of concern over rising crime in the strict Islamic state.
The three men from Burma were put to death in Mecca for stealing gold jewellery from a woman whom they had tied up to prevent her calling for help and threatened with knives, the official Saudi news agency said. It said the men sold the jewellery and one of them had carried out previous thefts.
Saudi Arabia usually carries out executions by public beheading for murder, rape, drug smuggling and, increasingly, armed robbery.
Four Sri Lankans were beheaded last February for armed robbery after what US-based Human Rights Watch called a sham trial. The men told the group they forced into robbery by poverty.
Saudi Arabia says it is implementing Islamic sharia law to the letter and that sharia ensures full rights for Muslims and non-Muslims, who must abide by the laws of the country. The Saudi media has talked about a wave of crime which is often blamed on expatriate labour, who account for some seven million of the 24 million population.
Saudi Arabia suffers sharp disparities in the distribution of wealth. Ordinary Saudis and foreigners have suffered a rise in the basic cost of living over the past year, as inflation hit 6.5 per cent in December.
The country, an absolute monarchy ruled by the Saudi royal family, is enjoying windfall profits from high oil prices.