Saudi Arabian Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabir has been executed by his Sunni kingdom for murdering a young man after a “group fight” that occurred in the outskirts of the kingdom’s capital Riyadh.
The family of the victim, identified by the Saudi government as Adel bin Suleiman bin Abdul Karim Mohaimeed, refused offers of “blood money” and demanded that justice be carried out, reports Al Arabiya.
“Blood money” would have awarded the victim’s family with financial compensation in return for not demanding the death penalty.
According to The New York Times (NYT), while the Sunni kingdom “did not detail the method used, most death penalties in Saudi Arabia are carried out by beheading in a public square.”
The prince’s death brings the tally of executions carried by the Sunni kingdom this year to 134, according to a count by Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Human Rights Watch.
“Most people executed in Saudi Arabia are convicted for murder and drug trafficking, although nearly 50 people convicted of terrorism offences were put to death on a single day in January, among them the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr,” reports BBC.
Three years ago, Prince Turki was found guilty by a Saudi court for murdering a young man in the al-Thumama region outside of Riyadh.
NYT notes:
The rare event rocketed around the kingdom’s social media networks, with some Saudis saying they never imagined such a thing would happen and others arguing that it showed the quality of their justice system, which follows a strict interpretation of Shariah law and is often criticized by human rights groups and Western governments for what they consider harsh and arbitrary punishments.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior confirmed the execution in a statement issued Tuesday, reports Al Arabiya.
The statement notes that “Turki bin Saud al-Kabir killed Saudi citizen Adel bin Suleiman bin Abdul Karim Mohaimeed,” adding:
Authorities were able to arrest the above mentioned offender. After the investigations, they charged him of committing the crime and his indictment was sent to the General Court. He was charged with what was attributed to him and sentenced to death as retribution.
It also says that the Interior Ministry confirmed Saudi “King Salman’s keenness on enforcement of security, justice and God’s judgments,” warning that “that legitimate punishment would be the fate of whoever tries to assault innocent people and shed their blood”.
Both the Saudi Court of Appeal and Supreme Court reportedly agreed on the initial ruling.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.