WEB DESK
Saudi officials have arrested 11 princes for staging a protest against the kingdom’s austerity measures.
According to a report from the Saudi news website Sabq, the princes, who gathered in the historical Palace of Government area in the capital Riyadh today, were demonstrating against a government decision to suspend payment of their utility bills.
Upon arrest, they were reportedly sent to Ha’ir prison, a maximum-security facility south of Riyadh.
King Salman today decreed a series of financial payouts to ease the cost of living. Each government employee will receive a monthly bonus of 1,000 riyals (around 267 US Dollars) for the next year, while military personnel serving in Yemen will be paid a one-off fee of 5,000 riyals (around 1,000 US Dollars).
Students will have their allowances increased by 10 percent for the next year, while retirees and social security recipients will get a monthly stipend of 500 riyals.
Sabq reports the princes were demanding financial compensation from a judgment involving one of their cousins and demanding the king reverse a decision to suspend payments for royals’ water and electricity bills.
Saudi Arabia recently introduced a raft of economic reforms, including a value-added tax (VAT) and a halt to state payments of water and electricity bills for royal family members.