Col. Muhammad Al-Dubyan, director of public affairs at the Prisons Department in Qassim, disclosed the possibility of releasing more prisoners.

“A committee has been set up to study the cases of inmates in all jails in the province in order to find out how many of them qualify for the amnesty,” he said.

Meanwhile, the lives of 17 people sentenced to capital punishment have been saved as a result of the king’s intervention. King Abdullah had requested families of murder victims to forgive the killers of their sons and relatives, seeking reward from God.

Prince Turki bin Abdullah, adviser at the royal court, spoke to the tribes of murder victims on behalf of the king to win their pardon.

In Eisawiya, Aazim Al-Sharari accepted the king’s mediation yesterday after Al-Jouf Gov. Prince Fahd bin Badr visited his home and requested him to forgive the murderer of his son Shakir, Munif Al-Sharari, who killed his victim four years ago.

“We are happy to accept the mediation of our leader King Abdullah. Moreover, our religion Islam has taught us to forgive others,” Al-Sharari said. Prince Fahd thanked Al-Sharari for the exemplary gesture.

Ali Al-Maliki, an official close to Prince Turki’s department, said King Abdullah was able to win the pardon from the kith and kin of murder victims within a year. “This is a record,” he pointed out.

He said efforts are underway to convince four more families to pardon the killers of their sons and relatives.