Saudi Arabia arrests 11 princes who protested non-payment of their electricity and water bills
The princes were charged with disturbing the peace and held at a Riyadh prison
Saudi Arabia has arrested a group of 11 princes who held a rare demonstration at a royal palace after the government halted payment of their electricity and water bills.
The princes, who were arrested on Thursday after staging a sit-in, were also seeking compensation “for a death sentence that was issued against one of their cousins,” a statement by the Saudi attorney general said, adding that the cousin was convicted of murder and executed in 2016.
The arrests were the latest sign of tensions within the Saudi royal family as the kingdom’s young crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, assumes an increasingly dominant role in the country’s affairs.
Prince Mohammed, a close ally of the Trump administration, has introduced a raft of changes, including austerity measures and the easing of social restrictions that his supporters say are intended to modernise the country and diversify its economy.
During his sudden rise to power, the crown prince has also sidelined his most powerful rivals and moved to silence dissenting voices in an effort to consolidate his authority before eventually inheriting the throne from his father, King Salman, analysts said.
In November, the government arrested dozens of influential Saudis, including princes, cabinet ministers and tycoons, detaining them at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.