Westerners freed
The week's news at a glance.
Riyadh
The Saudi government has pardoned and released five Britons and a Canadian who were jailed for more than two years on a dubious conviction for terrorism. The six businessmen were convicted—on little evidence, but with confessions extracted under torture—of planting several bombs in Riyadh in 2000. Two of the men were scheduled to be publicly beheaded. The Saudi government allowed them to leave the country this week only after they signed a letter apologizing to King Fahd and thanking the Saudis for their “hospitality.” Many ordinary Saudis are furious that the Westerners were released. An Afghan and a Pakistani were beheaded in Riyadh just last week for drug smuggling, and Saudis are complaining about a perceived double standard that punishes Third World criminals but not Western ones.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Selfies ban in art galleries: a sign of the times?
Talking Point Priceless art has been damaged by visitors desperate to take a snap with star attractions, leading some galleries and museums to start fighting back
-
Quiz of The Week: 21 – 27 June
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: How do you turn plastics into paracetamol?
Podcast Plus, what is the Wagner Group doing now? And why is it so hard to find a job after university?