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Deera Square ( ar, ساحة الديرة) is a
public space in
Deera,
Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia. It is also known as Justice Square, and derisively as Chop Chop Square by Western visitors. It is a former site of
public execution
A public execution is a form of capital punishment which "members of the general public may voluntarily attend." This definition excludes the presence of only a small number of witnesses called upon to assure executive accountability. The purpose ...
s, where those
sentenced to death
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
in Saudi Arabia were publicly
beheaded
Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the au ...
.
At unannounced times,
Saudi security forces and other officials cleared the area to make way for the execution to take place. After the beheading of the condemned, the head is stitched to the body, which is wrapped up and taken away for the final rites. It is a crime to record, with photos or videos, the executions, despite the number of attendees witnessing such public events.
Gallery
File:Dira Square.JPG, The square in 2007
File:OldRiyadh 1943.jpg, Deera Square, 1943
See also
*
Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia
Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia is a legal penalty. Death sentences are almost exclusively based on the system of judicial sentencing discretion (''tazir''), following the classical principle of avoiding ''Sharia-prescribed (hudud)'' penalties w ...
References
External links
*
{{Riyadh
Buildings and structures in Riyadh
Geography of Riyadh
Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia
Execution sites
Squares in Asia