DUBAI (AlArabiya.net)
A Pakistani man convicted of the brutal murder of Nepalese watchman has been sentenced to death in Dubai in what could be the Emirates first execution in eight years, local press reported Wednesday.
The 24-year- old referred to as Abdul Sabour K, was found guilty by the Dubai Court of First Instance of attacking and torturing the night watchman of a car showroom with a knife and hammer in March 2008 to find out the where the company safe was located and finally stabbed him 11 times, daily 7 Days reported.
According to the presiding judge the brutality of the murder and the determination of the defendant were the reason behind sentencing him to be executed rather than life in prison.
The convicted killer was not in court when the verdict was read but now has three days to launch an appeal.
If he loses his appeal case, the death sentence would be carried out by firing squad. The convicted felon stands blindfolded in front of five men armed with rifles. Only one of them has live ammunition while the rest are given blanks. No one will know who has the live ammunition, and all will aim at the heart.
The Public Prosecution told 7 Days that the family of the defendant is permitted to attend the execution. Abdul Sabour K’s death sentence is the first to be issued in Dubai since 2005. But the execution was never carried out since the defendant appealed and his sentence was reduced to life in prison.
Although the UAE has the death penalty, including for drug trafficking, executions are rare in the Gulf Arab state.
The last execution took place in 2001 and involved a man found guilty of kidnapping and raping a young girl. |
