A man in Saudi Arabia who posted a video of himself tearing up the Quran and hitting the shredded book with his shoe has been sentenced by state authorities; he will be beheaded for abandoning his Muslim faith in this manner. The unidentified man, who is in his 20s, was recently sentenced to death by the country’s Sharia Court on grounds of apostasy, which is handed down to any Muslim that fails to honour Islam, the official religion of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s interpretation of Wahabism demands capital punishment for a number of crimes, including rape, murder, drug smuggling and armed robbery. It is also meted out to those who involve themselves with internationally condemned crimes such as sorcery, idolatry, blasphemy and apostasy.
These executions are usually carried out in public in the witness of commoners.
According to human rights groups, the judicial system in Saudi Arabia suffers a lack of transparency as well as a proper process, which is why defendants are frequently denied basic rights, including access to suitable legal representation. While the government has made little to no reform with regards to its judicial system, it continues to insist how fair its practices are. No improvement has been seen in the number of people that are executed each year. In fact, in 2014, the number of executions carried out by Saudi authorities went up to 87 from 78 in 2013, with seven individuals being killed within the first two weeks of this year itself.
Photo Credits: RT.com
