MADINAH, 24 April 2008 — Relatives of four people who died in an accident last month after two members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice chased their car said they would demand execution of the culprits who caused the accident, according to Al-Madinah daily.
Authorities are questioning the two commission members and a policeman, who was also involved in the pursuit that led to the death of two men, a woman and the woman’s daughter. “I have already lodged a case at the General Court in Madinah demanding punishment of the culprits,” said Muhammad Khoj, whose son Omar was one of the four victims.
The husband of the woman who died in the incident said he would also demand the execution of the culprits. He said his 17-year-old daughter had a mental collapse after learning of the deaths of her mother and sister.
Khoj said he and his wife have been in a bad mental state following the accident. Lawyer Ali Al-Ghamdi, who is defending the two commission members and the police officer, said the case was progressing well. “I hope that truth will be established without harming either party,” he added.
The accident took place on March 31 when the car the four were traveling overturned some 20 kilometers outside Madinah. Eyewitness reports then blamed commission officials for the accident. The commission’s director in Madinah Fahd Al-Khidr called the allegations baseless and said his organization had nothing to do with the accident.
