ABU DHABI // The family of a man stabbed to death in a drunken fight have waived their rights to vengeance and blood money - four years after the killing.
The Indonesian man died in a fight with his roommate at a party in their labour camp, during which his compatriot stabbed him several times.
A representative from the Indonesian embassy told the Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday that the blood relatives had decided to pardon the killer.
He said they would not ask for blood money because they were financially stable, while the convicted man's family was extremely poor. The family considered the pardon a good deed that would satisfy God, the representative said.
Legally, no verdict in a murder case can be issued until the blood relatives of the victim are contacted.
The law considers relatives to have the authority from God to decide the fate of the killer.
The court is due to issue a verdict on February 21.
