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| Public beheading in Saudi Arabia |
An amount of SR10 million (US$2.6 million) in donations has been raised to try and convince the family of a murder victim to pardon the death sentence handed down to the murderer in 2011, Makkah daily reported.
The money was raised by Islah Charitable Committee, which aims to encourage sagacity and forgiveness in society.
"We focus on murder cases and people sentenced to the death sentence for violating personal rights," said committee member Badr Al-Harby.
"Thanks to the donations of 2 prominent figures in the Saudi sports industry, the committee was able to gather a total of SR10 million which will be used to pay blood money if the family agrees to forgive the murderer and save him from execution."
The 2 philanthropists each donated SR5 million to the cause, according to Al-Harby.
"We need the adult relatives of the victim to give their statement of forgiveness," he said.
"The committee has contacted them and they have been very welcoming. Their lack of resistance to the idea is a good and hopeful sign for us."
The judge in the case said in order to drop all charges completely the victim's underage daughter is required to sign a statement of forgiveness, which will happen only after she becomes an adult.
But Al-Harby said the current donations would buy the committee time.
In another case, Islah Charitable Committee continuing contacts with the family of an Arab dentist in Makkah who was killed by one of his patients in 2011.
A man in his 50s was convicted of premeditated murder and he was sentenced to death.
In Islamic law applied in the Kingdom, anyone convicted of culpable homicide will face the death penalty unless the victim's heirs choose to accept blood money and forgo retribution. As for a person convicted of manslaughter, only blood money is paid.
Source: Saudi Gazette, August 12, 2015
