A Saudi prince convicted of murder faces execution after the victim’s father refused to pardon him, local media have reported.
Crown Prince Salman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defence, reportedly said the prince would not be given special treatment despite his royal position.
“Shariah [law] shall be applied to all without exception,” he wrote in a message to Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Naif, Arab News reported.
“There is no difference between big and small, rich and poor. The powerful are weak before God’s law until others get their rights from them while the weak are powerful until their rights are protected.
Nobody is allowed to interfere with the judiciary’s decision. This is the tradition of this state. We are committed to following the Shariah.”
The victim was a Saudi citizen and King Abdullah reportedly issued a royal decree stating that capital punishment would be enforced if the reconciliation process between the prince and the victim’s family failed.
The victim’s father issued a statement saying he was not ready to pardon the prince and claimed the reconciliation committee was not fair to him.
He also was not satisfied with the amount of blood money – offered by killers as a means to avoid the death penalty - offered.
Executions are common in the strict Muslim society, with beheading the most common method.
There have been 72 official executions in the kingdom so far this year, according to AFP.
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