Two Egyptians executed in Saudi Arabia for murder of Filipino



RIYADH // Two Egyptians convicted of murdering a Filipino were beheaded by sword in the Saudi capital, the interior ministry said.

Wael Al Sayed and Rizq Rajab lured the driver by saying they wanted to rent his lorry before killing him and stealing the vehicle, the ministry said.

The beheadings bring to 75 the number of executions in Saudi Arabia this year.

In September, Amnesty International called on the kingdom, where 140 people were on death row, to establish an "immediate moratorium on executions".

The London-based rights watchdog said Saudi Arabia was one of a minority of states which voted against a UN General Assembly resolution last December calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

Amnesty said Saudi Arabia executed 27 in 2010, compared to 67 executions announced the year before.