Group items tagged

"Praise God," a Saudi executioner dressed in white tells her. He lifts his long silver sword and strikes her neck -- a gasp, then she falls silent. Twice more the hangman hacks at her neck, before stepping away to carefully wipe the blade.

Human rights groups have sharply condemned Saudi Arabia in the days since it executed 47 prisoners, including the reported beheading of an influential Shiite cleric. Such brutal executions, which in Saudi Arabia can include beheading, firing squad and even crucifixion, often follow dubious trials and arbitrary charges, according to Geoffrey Mock, the Middle East country specialist for Amnesty International USA.