SAUDI ARABIA: INDIAN SPARED DEATH SENTENCE, RETURNS HOME

Indian national Abu Rafe, 27, who was sentenced to death by the Abha Central Court in Saudi Arabia in 2007 for murder, was set free by the same court. The original conviction stems from an Aug. 23, 2006, incident near Khamis Mushayt in which an elderly Saudi was slain. Abu Rafe said he was forced to commit immoral acts at knife-point by the victim, but was able to seize the knife and defend himself. The case was referred between courts in Makkah and Riyadh before returning to Abha.