RIYADH: 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 yesterday. Sabq said the princes 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 to death for an unspecified crime. The princes were transferred to the high-security Ha'ir prison in the capital "ahead of their trial", Sabq said. 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. "Everybody is equal before the law and anyone who does not implement regulations and instructions will be held accountable, no matter who he is," the website added.
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