Saudi needs Dh20m to escape death

A convicted Saudi killer must pay SR20 million (Dh20m) to escape the gallows after the victim’s relatives demanded that sum as diya (blood money) to pardon him, a newspaper in the Gulf kingdom reported on Tuesday.

Hussein Ali Al Rasheedi was sentenced to death by a court in the western Red Sea port of Yanbu a few years ago after he was found guilty of killing a man during a fight.

The victim’s relatives have agreed to an out-of-court settlement by demanding SR20m to pardon the killer and drop the case.

In a statement published in Sabq newspaper, Rasheedi’s family appealed for help to save him, saying they had raised only a fraction of that sum.

“We appeal for all benevolent people to help save our son’s life as he will be executed within a few months unless we pay the SR20m on diya,” the statement said.

Under Islamic law, which is strictly enforced in conservative Saudi Arabia, a convicted killer on the death row could escape execution and walk free if pardoned by the victim’s relatives in exchange for diya, which can be set by the victim’s family.

[Image via Shutterstock]

 

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