The Independent today apologised to Saudi minister of the interior Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud after reporting that he ordered his forces to show no mercy on unarmed protesters and use live rounds against them.
Journalist Robert Fisk quoted from an order said to have been issued by the Saudi minister in an essay headlined: “The Arab awakening”, which was published in The Independent on 15 April this year.
The Independent said today in a published apology: “Although the essay was published in good faith, we now accept that the ‘order’ in question is in fact a forgery, and that Prince Nayef did not issue any such order. We apologise sincerely to Prince Nayef for the damage and embarrassment which our reporting of it has caused him.”
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
