Saudi Arabia beheads man who had been on death row for thirty years

A Saudi Arabian prisoner who spent 30 years on death row for killing a man in a fight was finally executed yesterday after the victim's family refused to grant him a pardon.

Abdullah bin Fandi Al Shammari, described by prison management as the 'ideal inmate', was beheaded in the northern town of Ha'il.


Shammari was just 23 when he was arrested and jailed for killing fellow Saudi Moojab bin Mohammed Al Rashidi by hitting him on the head with a stick following a row.

His trial dragged on for five years until the court ruled Rashidi's death was involuntary homicide. Shammari was then set free and ordered to pay the victim's family diya or blood money.

After being released form prison Shammari was married in a lavish wedding. But al-Rashidi's relatives objected to his release and demanded a retrial.

Shammari was subsequently rearrested and found guilty of murder and sentenced to death on murder charges in 1983.

Under Saudi law, al-Rashidi's sons had to come of age and decide whether or not to accept diya.

Shammari was kept from the gallows for 30 years as the court wanted allow his relatives and friends a chance to persuade the victim’s relatives to accept diya again and pardon him, but time and again they refused.

As a prisoner Shammari was praised for his exemplary conduct, he not only memorised the Quran but persuaded other inmates to do likewise.

He also gave up smoking and was said to have contributed to improved behaviour in hundreds of other inmates.

His case was taken up by the then Crown Prince, Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, but even he couldn not persuade the victim's relatives to grant a pardon.

Shammari's beheading brings the number of executions in Saudi to 10 for this year. In 2012, the kingdom beheaded an estimated 76 people.

Under Saudi Arabian law, rape, murder, apostasy (remouncing Islam), armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death.

Source : Daily Mail