Saudi execution caught on video

The execution of a man convicted of raping and murdering a teenage boy in the Saudi Arabian desert has been caught on film and published by the Sharq newspaper.

Emirates 247 reported that the execution by beheading of a murdering rapist was caught on video and published by the Saudi Sharq newspaper, in spite of the Kingdom's ban on executions being filmed. The rapist had lured his victim to the desert and raped him, before forcing him to lie in the sand and crushing him with his vehicle. The video posted below contains graphic content. In 2009 RT ran a piece on Saudi Arabian executioners, noting the job is a respected profession in the Arab world. During a debate on Abu Dhabi TV three Arab executioners agreed "there is nothing traumatic – or even distasteful – in executing those condemned to the sword or noose." Human rights organizations meanwhile condemn the number of public executions carried out in Saudi Arabia.