Kuwait executes Prince Sheikh Faisal Al Abdullah Al Sabah for murdering another prince

Kuwait on Wednesday hanged seven people including a member of the ruling family and three women after they were convicted of premeditated murder, the KUNA state news agency reported.

They are the first executions in the oil-rich Gulf state since mid-2013. Those executed included two Kuwaitis, two Egyptians and one each from Bangladesh, the Philippines and Ethiopia, KUNA said citing a source at the public prosecution.

The Interior Ministry has taken all the measures to carry out the death sentences, including coordination with the Special Forces, and the Ministry of Health, according to local reports.

Sheikh Faisal was sentenced to death in October 2011 after the Criminal Court found him guilty of the murder of his nephew Sheikh Basel Salem Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah.

The convict, Sheikh Faisal Abdullah Al Jaber, the prince's maternal uncle, is 20 years younger than the victim and is said to be working in military intelligence in the rank of captain.

According to Kuwaiti reports, Sheikh Basel was approached by Sheikh Faisal during a meeting in June 2010 and the latter had asked to speak to him in private. The two left the meeting and shortly thereafter, guests heard gunshots.

According to an eyewitness, the wheelchair-bound prince was shot as he had just finished washing his hands. The source said the accused fired at the prince from his army pistol and was later overpowered by one of the persons present there before the security personnel rushed in.

Medical staff confirmed the prince had been shot multiple times from close range and sources revealed that 5-7 bullets penetrated his body.

Police had launched an investigation and the suspect had been taken into custody, according to reports in 2010. 

The prince's brutal death had left the royal family and the country in mourning. Sheikh Basel has been described as a "generous and selfless person who shunned the limelight."

The last known executions to be carried out in Kuwait were in 2013, when a Pakistani, a Saudi and a "Bidoon" or man without citizenship in the emirate were hung.   

Who was Sheikh Basel?

Sheikh Basel was the grandson of Kuwait's 12th Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah and the eldest son of Sheikh Salem Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah and Sheikha Badriya Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah. Between 1970 and 1975 his father was Kuwait's ambassador to the US, Canada and Venezuela. He was then in charge of portfolios of social affairs and labour, interior, defence and foreign affairs.

Sheikh Basel himself spent his early university years studying Business Administration in London (1973). However, after his third year, the prince, who aspired for a military career, joined the military school after several conversations with his father, who despite his early disapproval, gave in to his son's requests. He graduated from the military school in 1985 but left the services in 1994 due to health problems.

However, Sheikh Basel was always known for his patriotism and loyalty to his country, even after leaving the service. He is spoken highly of, particularly during the 1990 Iraq-Kuwait war, when Iraq invaded Kuwait and occupied it for seven months which eventually led to the Gulf war. It seems that while Sheikh Basel's nationalism shone through, he never let the luxuries of his position as a member of the royal family change that.

Sheikh Basel's family; his wife Sheikha Intisar, his daughter Muneirah and his two sons Salem and Mubarak all agree that, "Sheikh Basel was the perfect husband and father, as well as a very democratic man."