Saudi Arabia chops off Nigerian man's hand after being convicted of theft

 

A man had his hand chopped off after allegedly getting caught stealing, according to press reports.

Saudi Arabian authorities on Wednesday, cut off the hand of a Nigerian man convicted of theft, in accordance with the strict application of Islamic sharia law throughout the kingdom, the interior ministry said.


Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim was convicted of theft and sentenced to "amputation of his right hand," the ministry said in a statement, which was broadcast to the public by the official state news agency.

The punishment was executed in the western city of Mecca, home to the Muslim holy Grand Mosque, the site where the robbery took place, he said.

The ultraconservative kingdom applies Islamic Sharia law, including executions by the sword of persons convicted of rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking.

Human rights organizations have condemned this sentence as cruel and inhuman, according to press reports.