Criminology and Psychology

Death sentence hanging over the sheik for drugs trafficking, the oil-rich principality is waiting to see whether the strict rule of law or the kinship ties of the ruling family will prevail. The sheik, who is in his 50s, was caught by Kuwaiti police with 10kg of cocaine and 75kg of hashish. When sentencing him to death, judge Humoud al-Mutwatah said the sheik had "willingly walked the path of evil" and deserved no mercy. It was the first time a Gulf royal family member had been condemned to death by a court, and the case is widely seen as a test for the impartiality of the law in a country where the convict's relative, the Emir, could pardon his wayward kinsman. Lawyers at the time hailed the sentence as a sign of the impartiality of the law. Najib al-Wugayyan, a prominent criminal lawyer, called the verdict "a magnificent indication to all that nobody is above the law". However, Sheik Sabah has announced in the Kuwaiti press that he has appealed to the Emir to ...