On October 18, 2016, Saudi Arabia executed a member of the
royal family for committing murder during a brawl. Prince Turki bin Saud bin
Turki bin Saud al-Kabeer was put to death most likely by beheading in a public
square—as this was the usual method at the time. As horrific as such an
execution is, the point that law applies to everyone is laudable—especially “on
point” for countries in which the rich can “get away with murder” by hiring the
best (and most expensive) lawyers. The
atrocious means of execution coupled with the dictum that the law really does
apply to everyone renders this case particularly difficult to analyze from an
ethical perspective.
The full essay is at "Saudi Arabia Beheads."