Head Count

The Saudis beheaded 4 criminals last month to bring their total for 2013 to 73. Three of them were druggies while one was guilty of incest. All were dispatched in the usual way with a public beheading.

In related news, I saw a news article that claimed one of the many Saudi princes was guilty of murder and may be executed. He was not identified and you should note that there are hundreds of people who are related to the king who have no role in running the country. If the family of the murdered individual does not agree to a "blood money" payment, called diyya, he could lose his head.

Finally, although it was not reported in the Arab press, Mohammed Kohail, the Canadian that was in a Saudi prison convicted of murder, was quietly released in 2012. The Canadian press reported it in May of 2013. There was no mention of any blood money payments.