Saudi Executes Jordanian Drug Smuggler

Saudi Arabia beheaded a Jordanian Wednesday for drug smuggling, bringing to 32 the number of death sentences carried out in the first two months of the year.

Omar Mohammed Abdul Muti al-Rubai was executed in northwestern Jawf region after his confession and conviction for trying to smuggle a large amount of amphetamines, the interior ministry said, cited by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The government says it "is committed to fighting drugs of all kinds due to the physical and social harm they cause."

Drug trafficking, rape, murder, apostasy and armed robbery are all punishable by death under the Gulf kingdom's strict version of Islamic sharia law.

Amnesty International said in its annual report Wednesday that death sentences are often imposed "after unfair trials."

The London-based watchdog said some defendants claimed to have been tortured or "otherwise coerced or misled into making false confessions" before trial.

According to an AFP count, the nation executed 87 locals and foreigners last year, up from 78 in 2013.