Saudi Arabia has executed a US citizen convicted of torturing and killing his Egyptian father, the official Saudi SPA news agency reported. “The bishop Sharif Naji Naseefan American national, was executed in the Riyadh region,” the agency added, citing a press release from the Ministry of the Interior of the Saudi kingdom, one of the countries that most uses capital punishment in the world.
A Saudi court has found that Bishoy Sharif Naji Naseef, whose age has not been disclosed, beat, tortured and strangled his Egyptian father and mutilated his body, according to the same source. He also used drugs and tried to kill another person. The mode of execution has not been specified, but beheading is often used when the punishment is the death penalty.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters: “We are aware of the reports (about the execution) and are closely monitoring the situation, but we have no details.” He added that an official from the US consulate last visited Bishoy Sharif Naji Naseef last July.
More than 1,000 people sentenced to death have been executed since King Salman and his son Mohammed, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, came to power in 2015, according to a report by the British organization Reprieve and ESOHR (European Saudi Organization) for Human Rights. ) published earlier this year.
Saudi Arabia has executed 91 death row inmates since the beginning of the year, according to an AFP tally based on official announcements. In addition to this US citizen, other foreigners on death row came from countries such as Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Jordan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Yemen.