World

'Saudi Arabia eliminates flogging as form of punishment'

Decision is an extension of the human rights reforms, reads document seen by Reuters

Reuters April 24, 2020

The first female flogger preparing to whip a woman in public, in Banda Aceh, after she was caught in close proximity with a man who is not her husband in a hotel. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia eliminated flogging as a form of punishment, according to a document from the kingdom’s top court seen by Reuters on Friday.

The decision will see the punishment replaced by imprisonment or fines.

“The decision is an extension of the human rights reforms introduced under the direction of King Salman and the direct supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman,” the document said.

Flogging has been applied to punish a variety of crimes in Saudi Arabia.

Rights groups have documented past cases in which Saudi judges have sentenced criminals to flogging for a range of offences, including public intoxication and harassment.

“This reform is a momentous step forward in Saudi Arabia’s human rights agenda, and merely one of many recent reforms in the Kingdom,” the president of the state-backed Human Rights Commission (HRC) Awwad Alawwad told Reuters.

Other forms of corporal punishment, such as amputation for theft or beheading for murder and terrorism offences, have not yet been outlawed.

“This is a welcome change but it should have happened years ago,” said Adam Coogle, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch.

COMMENTS (2)

t t | 4 years ago | Reply As for the amputation for theft, I believe that Saudi Arabia does not practice this anymore! They have been using fines and imprisonment for theft punishment. It might be reported later that they will legally dismiss this regulation, however, I will not worry about it so much since it is not practiced anymore.

t t | 4 years ago | Reply I hope after eliminating this punishment, they replace it with social service or any kind of performance that will correct the acts of people rather than just shaming them by flogging them.

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