In an apparent bid to bring the Kingdom’s penal code in line with international human rights norms, Saudi Arabia reformed its laws this weekend to end death penalties for crimes committed by minors and to essentially abolish flogging as a punishment.
Saudi Human Rights Commission President Awwad Alawwad has said that instead of capital punishment, minors found guilty of serious offences will now receive prison sentences no longer than 10 years in juvenile detention facilities. Last week, Amnesty International reported that despite the alleged modernization being carried out under Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Kingdom executed 184 people in 2019. The new decree was made in light of such criticism as well as the international attention given to a case of six Shia men who were on death row for participating in anti-government protests when they were minors under the age of 18 during the Arab Spring.
The top Saudi court has also ordered the abolition of flogging as a punishment, which was earlier used for most crimes, ranging from extramarital sex to homicide. In the future, judges will have to choose between jail sentences, fines, and non-custodial alternatives like community service. The announcement came just after the custodial death of prominent Arabic professor and human rights activist Abdullah al-Hamid on Friday. In recent times, the most infamous flogging case has been that of blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to ten years in jail and 1,000 lashes for allegedly “insulting Islam”.
However, a government official has confirmed that other such hudud or harsh punishments under Saudi’s Sharia law are still applicable for serious offences. London-based Saudi political activist Aliaa Abutayah told Al Jazeera that the latest reforms in the Kingdom's penal code are very small. “If the Saudi government is serious about legal reform, they should start by releasing all of the political and human rights prisoners they have been holding in their prisons for years,” she said.
Image Source: The Independent
Saudi Arabia Abolishes Flogging, Ends Death Penalty for Minors
April 27, 2020
