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Yemeni has hand cut off for theft in Saudi Arabia

80 people have reportedly been executed in Saudi Arabia this year
80 people have reportedly been executed in Saudi Arabia this year

Saudi authorities have severed the hand of a Yemeni national convicted of repeated theft, under the strict rules of Islamic law applied in the kingdom. 

A court had ordered the amputation of Ibrahim Abdulrahman Hazbar's right hand after convicting him of a "series of thefts", the interior ministry said.

The punishment was carried out in the western city of Mecca, home to the holiest sites in Islam.

Rape, murder, apostasy, drug trafficking and armed robbery are all punishable by death in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

According to AFP, 80 convicts have been executed in the country this year, despite international concerns over the number and judicial process.