沙特11名王子因抗議削減補貼被捕

Saudi authorities have arrested 11 princes for protesting against the suspension of state subsidies to pay the electricity and water bills of members of the royal family, a rare example of open dissent over recent austerity measures.

沙特當局逮捕了11名王子，因為他們抗議暫停幫助王室成員支付水電費的國家補貼。這是針對近期財政緊縮措施公開唱反調(diào)的罕見一例。

The attorney-general said in a statement that the group of princes had staged a sit-in at a palace in the capital last week, refusing to leave the area after being told that their demands were not lawful.

沙特總檢察長在一份聲明中表示，這群王子上周在首都的一座宮殿舉行了靜坐示威，且在被告知其訴求不合法后拒絕離開。

The princely dissent reflects broader antipathy towards the government’s attempts to raise revenue this year, including introducing a 5 per cent sales tax, doubling petrol prices and imposing increases to utility tariffs. After the measures were implemented over the new year, Saudis took to social media to complain about the rising cost of living at a time of economic stagnation.

王子們的異見反映出沙特國內(nèi)對政府今年開源節(jié)流舉措(包括開征5%的銷售稅、汽油價格翻番和提高公用事業(yè)收費)的普遍不滿。這些措施新年開始實施后，沙特人紛紛在社交媒體上抱怨經(jīng)濟停滯而生活成本不斷上升。

The disgruntlement underlines the delicate balance Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman faces as he seeks to press ahead with reforms while at the same time limiting the risk of unrest in a conservative country where cradle-to-grave state welfare has been the norm. The arrest of the princes also illustrates the 32-year-old’s hardline stance towards dissent as he consolidates power since his promotion to heir apparent in June.

這些不滿突顯出王儲穆罕默德•本•薩勒曼(Mohammed bin Salman)面臨的微妙平衡，他在試圖推進改革的同時，也要在這個從搖籃到墳墓的國家福利已成為常態(tài)的保守國家限制動亂風險。這些王子被捕也表明32歲的王儲對待異見的強硬立場;自去年6月被任命為繼承人后，他一直在鞏固權力。