London - Saudi Arabia has executed a member of the royal family for an alleged murder.
Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabir was sentenced to death after apparently shooting dead his fellow countryman Adel al-Mahemid during a brawl. The method of execution remains unknown but the majority of those who are put to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded with a sword.
The prince pleaded guilty to shooting his compatriot after an argument erupted at a desert camp on the edge of Riyadh three years ago. When al-Kabir realised the victim was a colleague and friend he informed the police, according to Arab News.
The victim’s family were offered financial compensation in return for not demanding the death sentence but they refused, Al-Arabiya reported.
“The government... is keen to keep order, stabilise security and bring about justice through implementing the rules prescribed by Allah”, the Saudi interior ministry said in a statement.
The House of Saud rarely sees executions of its own thousands of members. One of the most prominent cases was Faisal bin Musaid al Saud, who was sentenced to death for assassinating his uncle, King Faisal, in 1975. Saudi Arabia’s strict legal code means murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and apostasy can all receive the death sentence.
The kingdom executed at least 158 people last year, with only Iran and Pakistan carrying out more death sentences, according to Amnesty International. China is not included in Amnesty figures, but is apparently the world leader executing thousands of people last year, according to CNN.
The Independent