Dateline Riyadh: Anxious Saudi Arabia Looks To Break Record for Beheadings!

[Tref]

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Rizana Nafeek, a 19-year housemaid from Sri Lanka, is on death row because the baby in her care died while she was bottle-feeding him. If her appeal is turned down, she will be taken to a public square to be publicly beheaded.

The Sri Lankan government says it is working for a reprieve, and has until Monday to file the plea. A last-minute pardon by the infant's parents could also spare her. But if her execution goes ahead, it will be the latest in a surge of beheadings that could surpass the kingdom's record of 191 in 2005.

Amnesty International says some defendants are convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress, torture or deception.

To read story, click here