Yahoo – AFP, January 6, 2018
Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi authorities have arrested 11 princes who protested against the kingdom's austerity measures and who could face trial, a news website close to the government reported on Saturday.
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| Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has had more than 200 princes arrested as part of his anti-corruption campaign (AFP Photo/BANDAR AL-JALOUD) |
Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi authorities have arrested 11 princes who protested against the kingdom's austerity measures and who could face trial, a news website close to the government reported on Saturday.
Sabq said
the princes, who were not named, were protesting at a historical Riyadh royal
palace, Qasr al-Hokm, against a government's decision to stop paying the water
and electricity bills of royals.
They were
also demanding "financial compensation" after one of their cousins
had been sentenced for an unspecified crime.
The princes
were transferred to the high-security Ha'ir prison in the capital "ahead
of their trial", Sabq said, citing unnamed sources.
It said the
princes "were informed of the error of their demands but they refused to
leave Qasr al-Hokm", prompting the royal guards to intervene and arrest
them.
Saudi
officials contacted by AFP Saturday were not immediately reachable for comment.
Saudi
Arabia has introduced a string of austerity measures over the past two years to
boost revenues and cut spending as the global slump in oil prices led to
ballooning budget deficits.
The
kingdom's push to diversify its oil-dependent economy has been linked to the
arrest of more than 200 princes in November in an anti-corruption purge
spearheaded by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the king's son and
heir to the throne.
Most of
those detained were held at the palatial Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, which
has turned into a luxury prison.
King Salman
on Saturday announced a boost in stipends and tax relief for Saudi citizens,
particularly those employed in the military or public sector.
The
International Labour Organization estimates that unemployment among Saudis aged
15 to 25 stood at 36.2 percent last year.
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Saudi public servants, military personnel and students get extra benefits to cushion the impact of economic reforms including the kingdom's first ever taxes after an oil price slump https://t.co/o0lJG9g5xu— AFP news agency (@AFP) January 6, 2018
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In order to get to a more stable future, you will have to go through gyrations of dark and light. What this means is that the dark is going to be revealed and push back at you. It will eventually lose. We told you this. That's what you're here for is to help those around you who don't see an escape from the past. They didn't get their nuclear war, but everything else is going into the dumper anyway. … “
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