Saudi judges have in the past ordered sharia punishments that include tooth extraction, flogging, eye gouging and in murder cases death. PHOTO: AFP/ FILE
The London-based human rights group said Ali al Khawaher, 24, was reported to have spent 10 years in jail waiting to be paralysed surgically unless his family pays $270,000 to the victim.
The Saudi Gazette newspaper reported last week that Khawaher had stabbed a childhood friend in the spine during a dispute a decade ago, paralyzing him from the waist down.
Saudi Arabia applies Islamic sharia law, which allows eye-for-an-eye punishment for crimes but allows victims to pardon convicts in exchange for so-called blood money.
"Paralysing someone as punishment for a crime would be torture," Ann Harrison, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director, said in a statement late on Tuesday.
"That such a punishment might be implemented is utterly shocking, even in a context where flogging is frequently imposed as a punishment for some offences, as happens in Saudi Arabia," she added.
A government-approved Saudi human rights group did not respond to requests for comment.
The Arabic-language al Hayat daily quoted Khawaher's 60-year-old mother as saying her son was a juvenile aged 14 at the time of the offence. She said the victim had demanded 2 million riyals to pardon her son and later reduced this to 1 million. "But we don't have even a tenth of this sum," she said.
Al Hayat said an unnamed philanthropist was trying to raise funds to pay the blood money, but it was not clear how much time remained before Khawaher's sentence was to be carried out.
Amnesty said the case demonstrated the need for Saudi Arabia to review its laws to "start respecting their international obligations and remove these terrible punishments from the law".
Saudi judges have in the past ordered sharia punishments that include tooth extraction, flogging, eye gouging and - in murder cases - death.
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@J T:
What barbaric medieval laws? Barbaric Laws are the modern Laws of today that side with the Criminal and Torture the Victim, got it? Put yourself in the shoes of the victim. Suppose you had been paralysed in your teenages and were paralysed for the last 10 years. Due to this no one married you, you were not able to due a job, you became a burden on your family. and your criminal got a few years say 5 years in jail. Came out of Jail, got married to a beautiful lady, did fantastic business, had kids, enjoyed life and you were disabled for the next 40 years with practically no life. How would you feel then? Would you not want your criminal to be paralysed in the same way and sufferas you did? You would then want the implementation of the divine laws which your small mind is now calling as 'barbaric'. The divine laws side with the victim and punish the criminal, the modern laws do otherwise.
Instead of paralysing the criminal, he should be asked to work and most part of his earnings should go to the victim and family. Eye for an eye keeps both parties blind.That's why I do not support Shariah laws.
@QAS:
For a start, I wish Indian muslims accept the Shariah penal code instead of the Indian penal code.
@I am a Khan: So, good sir, what you are saying is that because evil foreign invaders have invaded the said countries, these said countries' barbaric medieval laws are ineffective? You need to consider what sort of example such governments (govts. like KSA) set for their citizens by following such policies. In my opinion, it only promotes a culture where men act on their basest instincts. Barbarism is hardly ever a virtue.
What sharia law?
Despite Saudi Arabia’s famously strict legal system, Women to Drive say fathers cannot be executed for murdering their children in the country. Equally, husbands cannot be executed for murdering their wives.
Source : http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-preacher-who-raped-and-tortured-his-five-yearold-daughter-to-death-is-released-after-paying-blood-money-8480440.html
@Babloo Thats not how it works in real sharia law and from what i can understand in saudi too. The victim gets to decide the amount of payment. So... Say you paralysed me and you r very rich, then I could simply set a very high amount that you have to pay for the blood money the victm can charge $.01 or $1,000,000,000,000,000 - its all up to him.
Well done..Saudis make us all proud! you can rape your daughter and without any problem but you have to be a Saudi to have this privilege, after all how to do you run a kingdom..yes a kingdom in 2013. If somebody cares to look at the statistics most of the beheading and gory punishments are given to the poor from abroad mostly south asians!!
The simple joys of Shariah!
@Mj: "My point is still valid."
This comment again shows lack of knowledge, bias combined with stubbornness. Somalia, Sudan, Yemen as originally meniotned by you have all had foreign invaders in the last 20 years after which their peace got destroyed.
@all those who are saying it favours rich. Its upto the victim family to accept blood money. It does not matter how rich you are. If the victim family does wants justice, no amount can buy them!
In a civilized society there is no place for blood money, neither for revenge, only for justice. If a dog bites a Muslim, is he/she going to bite the dog?
So under Sharia, a rich man can kill a poor man and walk away with paying blood money ? However if a poor man kills another man, he is put to death ?
That means any very rich person can just come and kill me and most of you . Do you want a society based on such laws ?
Barbaric. It really needs a devious mind to even come up with this.
@I am a Khan:
"The comment above shows an utter lack of knowledge. I am done. cannot debate with a biased person with nil knowledge."
Do you have some difficulty with reading comprehension? Where did I mention Iraq, Mali, and other countries you've listed? My point is still valid.
In Saudia these Sharia laws are only for poor and rich get away from punishment by paying blood money. Never heard any royal and Sheikh have been punished physically as they are above Sharia and law. They are biggest hypocrites on earth.
@Mj: "Except for Afghanistan, no country listed in my comment has been attacked by foreign invaders. They are, however, beset by Islamist insurgencies and sectarian violence."
The comment above shows an utter lack of knowledge. I am done. cannot debate with a biased person with nil knowledge. Iraq? Mali? Yemen? Syria? Libya? GCC? Northern Pakistan? Is there even one country where invader planes/drones are not hovering the skies?
'Eye for eye' is the best law and will solve all problems of criminality in society
Protocol of application should follow exactly the the incident and inflict same punishment. Request the criminal to work up the executioner to the point where the executioner is outraged and stabs the criminal in the spine.
Otherwise it will be considered premediatated murder and not a murder in a fit of anger. So no more eye for eye. Very different qualitatively which is the basis of 'eye to eye'.
Sharia law in Pakistan is only for US spies like Raymond Davis...amazing isn't it?
@PK the US still has the death penalty, yet that has not discouraged people from committing crimes which have capital punishment as the sentence. Your argument makes no sense. Rehabilitation of people who have committed such crimes is key!
An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind (Mahatama Gandhi). Time for such barbaric laws (including the death penalty in the US) to be abolished across the globe.
Muslims want sharia laws; others don't.
@I am a Khan:
Except for Afghanistan, no country listed in my comment has been attacked by foreign invaders. They are, however, beset by Islamist insurgencies and sectarian violence.
@Mj: "Yeah, Afghanistan, Somalia Sudan, Nigeria, and Yemen sure are peaceful."
All the above countries mentioned have had foreign invaders attack them and spoil their peace, so that they are not effectively able to implement Shariah Laws.
@QAS:
Anyone including me can tell you that the crime rate in KSA is incredibly high only they do not have free press which can report it.
KSA has highest incidences off child molestation, rape, robberies and kidnapping in the GCC. Women have to make it a point to lock their doors shut after their husbands leave because locals in many cities think that all ajami women are a fair game to rape.
Thus despite being legal to walk in pairs of two, no women do so as there is a very high risk of getting kidnapped. In stark contrast to the rest of Gulf mind you.
Of course the non-existent human rights are another matter.
@QAS: If Shariah laws will be implemented in Pakistan, then the whole government will be ruled by paralysed personnels..hahaha
@ashar: "Pakistan also needs Shariah Laws to be implemented in letter and spirit, only then peace can flourish in our country."
Yeah, Afghanistan, Somalia Sudan, Nigeria, and Yemen sure are peaceful.
Pakistan also needs Shariah Laws to be implemented in letter and spirit, only then peace can flourish in our country.
If this is Sharia ... then it does certainly favour the person with money .
This is not Sharia law this is Saudi law....when will these Saudis stop embarrasing the muslims
This is not Islamic Sharia law, but the ancient practice of pagans, whic jews, christians and muslims have folowed in ancient times under the justification of "an Eye for an Eye" basis. It is not the Saudi Govt. but most probably the demand of the victim? The Saudis should stop it.
USA still pactices torture and capital punishment, where as the Euopean Union do not! Let the Saudi adapt their sharia laws.
Rex Minor
I had an occasion to read law of torts. In the good old days a horse kicked a guy to death and the judge put the horse to death. eye for eye / hand for hand / life for life. As per the criminal laws of civilized countries, intention to commit a crime is equally important to call an act as a crime. Saudis can afford to be what they are
An eye-for-eye doesn't sound too bad, but $270,000 does. This means the rich can get away with whatever crimes they commit under the Saudi sharia?
An Eye for an Eye, make the whole world Blind - Mahatma Gandhi
@QAS: "Due to these Sharia punishments crime rate is low in KSA."
The crime rate is perhaps lowest in North Korea. Should we then adopt a brutal, fascist totalitarian system just so the crime can be lowered? There are plenty of developed countries such as New Zealand, Iceland, Finland, Netherlands which have low crime rates, high degree of freedom and prosperity, all this without resorting to barbaric punishments which belong to the stone age.
Keep it up! Judges are doing a good job, kindly send some to Pakistan. Our legal system sucks!
The Shariat (Islam) m The manu (Hindu) laws were created several thousands of years ago. These things are outdated today. Please lets call for a revamp of these laws. Instead of something like paralysing the killer, why cant they say something like - life long punishment to serve and take care of the murdered man's family with the killer's income.( or some such thing) .
@Anna: This may look barbaric, but it works and has proved in KSA.....it should be same in all Muslim countries...especially in Pakistan....
@QAS:
Crime rate is perhaps even lower in North Korea.
If it was Islamic Shariah, this wouldn't look that odd, unnatural, absurd and bizarre. The report reinforces the general belief that the anti-islam Whaabhi Saudi sharia is full of contradictions. Islam, otherwise a religion of peace, cannot consider such sentence where a Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a man to be paralysed in retribution for causing the paralysis of a friend when he was fourteen years old.
Unbelievable...and to see people here actually in favour of this...i am shocked.
I guess if someone paralysed our loved one we would want the criminal to get punished in a similar manner.
People are so ignorant calling it barbaric and inhumane. Sharia Laws prevent crimes. Making him paralised will mean 98% of the people will avoid doing such crime.
And paralizing happens only because the victim didn't forgive him! If the victim forgives, then he is FREE to go. Do you understand what it means?
Any Sensible minded person would understand just like @Justin and the rest did here...
Shariah Sides with the Victim...Punishes the Criminal. Amnesty Sides with the Criminal... Punishes the Victim...If Paralysing the Criminal is torture, then is the victim who has been paralysed by the criminal not in torture for the last 10 years and for how many more years to come? You torture someone with your acts, you get tortured (either in this world or in the hereafter, choice is yours), simple plain divine justice...
The comments are atrocious , this is barbaric and inhumane
nice decesion,a good way to control crimes,totally support
Due to these Sharia punishments crime rate is low in KSA.
These Sharia punishments need to be followed in all over the world or at least Pakistan Government should implement it with in a country as crime rate is hiking enormously.
There is a benefit of whole society in Sharia Punishments (IF YOU TRY TO UNDERSTAND).
Just when I assume they cannt go any lower, they break their own records.
nice laws....