Ali ‘Ayyubey’ Hassan’s final heir has asked for the death penalty for the underaged defendants in his murder trial, reported Haveeru.
Ayyubey, 76, was found murdered with multiple stab wounds on Kudahuvadhoo in January this year.
The victim had been accused of using sorcery on a 37 year-old woman, whose body had been found in the lagoon the previous month.
The Prosecutor General (PG) pressed charges against three men and three male youths – two of whom admitted the charges, whilst the third awaits the results of DNA tests.
The final of nine heirs opted for qisas (equal retaliation) in Addu Court rather than choosing to accept blood money.
This process is standard under Sharia law, although the President’s legal authority to commute death sentences to 25 years has resulted in a de facto moratorium on the death penalty since 1953.
