JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah praised and received at his palace here on Friday the sons of Omash bin Omash Al-Shammari who pardoned the man who murdered their brother.
“We the sons of Omash Al-Shammari have waived our rights against Bandar bin Ayed Al-Shammari, the man who killed our brother Jamal, while seeking the blessing of God and respecting your mediation,” a son of Al-Shammari said.
King Abdullah said the killer would be set free after some time on the request of Al-Shammari’s sons.
“This is an important day in your life,” the king told the Al-Shammaris, commending their humanitarian gesture.
“Even your dead would benefit from this great act of goodness as God will forgive their sins and shower His Mercy and Blessings on them,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the king as saying.
The sons of Al-Shammari who attended the reception were Nawaf, Faiz, Mishaal, Fawaz, Khaled, Bassam, Majed, Walid, Dhaidan, Turki, Abdul Aziz and Saleh.
Faiz Al-Shammari thanked the king for appreciating their gesture. He also thanked Hail Gov. Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsen for his mediation efforts.
He further requested the king to release the killer in order to allow him to enjoy Eid Al-Fitr with his family.
The reception was attended by Prince Muqrin, chief of intelligence, Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsen, Prince Fahd bin Badr, governor of Al-Jouf province, Abdul Aziz Khoja minister of culture and information and other senior officials.
In a related development, a citizen in Taif pardoned his son’s killer in response to the mediation efforts of King Abdullah, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and Prince Turki bin Abdullah.
The man’s son died during a fight between a group of youths in Taif three years ago.
Saudi Arabia, which follows Shariah law, imposes capital punishment on people convicted of committing murder. The punishments can, however, be lifted with the consent of the victim’s family members. Ahmed Al-Sufyani, the person who pardoned, thanked King Abdullah, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and all those who involved in saving his life from sword.
He also expressed his deep sorrow over the criminal act and thanked the family of the victim for their humanitarian gesture. Ahmed Al-Zahrani, secretary-general of the reconciliation committee in Taif, said his panel was successful in winning pardons for 45 persons involved in murder over the past years.
“We have also succeeded in settling about 600 family, social and financial disputes,” he added.
