BANGKOK — Prison officials say they have carried out the country’s first execution in nine years, putting to death a convicted murderer by lethal injection. The move has drawn condemnation from rights groups.
The head of the Department of Corrections said in a statement that 26-year-old Theerasak Longji was executed by lethal injection Monday afternoon.
He was convicted of aggravated murder for the 2012 fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old for his mobile phone.
Update: Officials Silent on Thailand’s 1st Execution in 9 Years
Amnesty International issued a statement calling the execution “deplorable” and a major setback for the country.
Theerasak was the seventh convict to be executed by lethal injection since Thailand switched methods in 2003 from a firing squad.
