A criminal court in Qatar has sentenced a Sri Lankan man to death for murdering an Indian expat here, News First reports.

According to the Sri Lankan publication, Wengadaaslam Sudeshkar, 22, was arrested in connection with the stabbing and killing of a young Indian man in June 2011.

The parents of the victim apparently asked Sudeshkar’s family for Rs3.5 million ($63,857) in blood money, which they were unable to afford, his mother told News First.

A representative at the Sri Lankan embassy in Qatar told Doha News that officials were aware of the case, but referred all questions to the deputy ambassador, who could not be reached for comment.

But News First reports that the embassy said all information has been forwarded to Sri Lankan’s Ministry of External Affairs, which is taking steps to release Sudeshkar.

Moratorium on executions

According to Amnesty International’s 2012 report on Qatar, at least 19 prisoners were on death row at the end of 2011, three of whom were sentenced that year. But the country has had no reported executions in over a decade.

Anyone know more?

Credit: Photo by Joe Gratz