The Philippines government said Wednesday it was unable to stop the execution of a Filipino national in Saudi Arabia despite last minute efforts to try to save him. Mistola Cortez was beheaded by the sword in Riyadh on Wednesday for murdering a Pakistani man in an argument, a Saudi government statement said.
Philippine Foreign Under-secretary Esteban Conejos said Manila had exhausted all efforts to save him. Under Saudi law, Cortez could have been spared the death penalty if the victim's family forgave him and accepted "blood money."
But the Pakistani man's family had "refused to forgive Cortez despite the offer of blood money as compensation," Conejos said. Cortez was convicted of stabbing the Pakistani to death in 2002 although he has said the killing was in self-defence.
Thousands of Filipinos live and work in the Middle East where they are offered higher salaries than their home country. A Yemeni was also beheaded in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for murder, bringing to 94 the number of executions announced by the Saudi government so far this year.
Executions are usually carried out in public in Saudi Arabia, which applies a strict form of Shariah. Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking can all carry the death penalty.
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