Saudi prince gets lashes in court-ordered punishment

RIYADH: A Saudi prince was flogged following a court ruling that also included a prison sentence for breaking the law.

The lashing was carried out on Monday afternoon inside a prison in Jeddah.

A committee tasked with the application of court sentences made sure the lashing was in line with the regulations, Saudi daily Okaz reported.

The committee received the go-ahead for the lashing after a doctor examined the prince and concluded that he was free of diseases that could prevent or postpone carrying out the court sentence.

Five people representing various agencies witnessed the lashing carried out by a policeman, the daily said.

Reuters adds: A spokesman for the oil-rich Gulf kingdom’s Justice Ministry was not immediately available for comment.

A Saudi prince was executed in Riyadh on Oct. 19 after a court found him guilty of shooting dead a fellow Saudi, official media reported, in what Saudis said was the first execution of a prince since the 1970s.

Prince Turki bin Saud al-Kabir had pleaded guilty to shooting Adel al-Mohaimeed after a brawl, the ministry of interior said. Saudi social media users interpreted the rare execution of a prince as a sign of equality under Islamic law.