Saudi Arabia crucifies man convicted of murder

Saudi Arabia says it executed and crucified a man from Myanmar convicted of killing a woman and carrying out other crimes.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported on the execution Wednesday, saying it was carried out in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

It said Elias Abulkalaam Jamaleddeen entered a Myanmar woman's home firing a gun and then stabbed her to death.

He was convicted of robbing her home and another home, attempted rape, and stealing firearms and ammunition.

The report said his conviction was upheld by the courts and his execution was endorsed by King Salman.

Saudi Arabia is one of the world's top executioners, though crucifixions - in which the condemned is usually beheaded and then the body put on display - are rare.

Saudi Arabia had the third highest execution rate in the world in 2017, after China and Iran, according to Amnesty International. 

Rights experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the fairness of trials in the kingdom, governed under a strict form of Islamic law.

The government says the death penalty is a deterrent for further crime.

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