Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabeer as been executed for murder. According to the interior minister, the Saudi prince, one of thousands of members of the royal House of Saud, shot dead another Saudi, Adel bin Suleiman bin Abdulkareem al-Muhaimeed, during a mass brawl.
Saudi Arabia still carries the death penalty for multiple crimes including adultery, apostasy, drug trafficking, rape and murder. The prince is a low ranking royal, one of the descendants of the first king and is the 134th person to be executed this year. It is alleged the brawl which resulted in the murder took place at a desert camp, popular socialising spots for Saudis. The prince reported the murder to the police after he realised he had shot one of his friends.
Murder accounts for the majority of capital punishment cases as well as drug trafficking. This January saw a staggering 47 terrorists executed in the space of a single day. Their somewhat frivolous use of the death penalty, which sees criminals beheaded by sword, has led to human rights organisations criticising Saudi Arabia, with others praising it for its robustness.
