THE GUARDIAN: Britain's conviction of a Saudi prince for the murder of his servant has inspired Saudi Arabians longing for impartial justice
The prince is guilty of murder. That was the verdict rendered against the Saudi prince, Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Saud, regarding the death of his servant, Bandar Abdulaziz. It is a victory for the people of Saudi Arabia who, for the first time in their lives, can see a "blueblood" royal held accountable for his actions against a commoner.
His trial at the Old Bailey sent a strong message that a Saudi prince and a pauper are the same in the eyes of the law in Britain, and that British justice is superior to the Saudi court system, which claims to uphold Islamic standards.
Many Saudis are cheering the verdict: they know that if this murder had occurred in Saudi Arabia, the killer would not have seen a single day in prison. The victim in this case had no hopes of receiving justice in his homeland, but the British court has upheld the fundamental principle of equality under law.
Millions of people in Saudi Arabia were watching the trial closely, and the outcome gives them hope that the impartial rules of western jurisprudence may one day be emulated in their land. In Saudi Arabia and other despotic regimes, where people are divided into rulers and subjects, the judicial system is guided by the whims of the ruling family and the accused prince would have been given a free pass. This may have been on the mind of detective chief inspector John McFarlane, who summarised the situation: "This verdict clearly shows no one, regardless of their position, is above the law."
The convicted prince is a "Royal Highness" prince – one of the few hundred males eligible by birth to ascend to the Saudi throne. There are two classes of Saudi princes. Male descendents of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, are given the title of "Royal Highness", while other princely males have to make do with a mere "Your Highness". It is worth noting that these titles are an anathema to Islam's egalitarian tradition and, in fact, have no foundation in Arab history. They were imported to Saudi Arabia from the United Kingdom in the 1940s.
Bandar Abdulaziz, the prince's victim, was a black man who grew up in a government orphanage with no known parents – the worst possible combination in Saudi Arabia in terms of social worth. In the eyes of many royals, Bandar was just a slave – and it's a view that the Saudi courts usually share. Read on and comment >>> Ali al-Ahmed | Wednesday, October 20, 2010
* "Justice even for princes." Yes, for now, perhaps. But how long will it be before a deal will be done with the royal family of Saudi Arabia to safeguard/secure a contract or two?
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