Man pardons son’s killer at Saudi King’s wish

A Saudi man pardoned the teen age killer of his son in response to mediation by King Abdullah and the pardon means the defendant would escape execution in line with Islamic law, a newspaper reported on Monday.

Mahmas bin Ammash Al Qahtani said he had forgiven Ayyaf Al Subai, 14, who has been in jail for nearly three years and awaiting execution after he killed Abdul Rahman Mahmas during a scuffle in the capital Riyadh.

Qahtani, who had rebuffed previous mediation efforts by relatives, said he agreed to pardon the killer in response to King Abdullah’s plea, conveyed to him by the Monarch’s son Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.

“I decided to pardon the killer of my son in response to a desire by HH the Monarch to mark these blessed days,” he told Sabq newspaper.

Under Islamic law, which is strictly enforced in conservative Saudi Arabia, a killer can walk free if pardoned by the victim’s relatives in return for blood money.

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