As much as I was annoyed by the hooliganism that we have seen in Khobar on the National Day, I was much more annoyed by how the government decided to handle the situation. However, I’m relieved to see the National Society for Human Rights weigh in and release a statement condemning the manner in which these young men were punished. Flogging them publicly like that without a trial is wrong and in clear violation of the law. Now of course the language of the statement could be stronger, but I guess it’s better than nothing.
7 thoughts on “NSHR Condemns Flogging without Trial”
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Saudi Jeans 
I think it is sad, mainly because I am sure that most were the fat guys that were just there for all the donuts and ice cream, or onlookers that probably got there at the last minute just like they do when they say a car crash.
“Flogging them publicly like that without a trial is wrong and in clear violation of the law”
What law are you talking about? there is no “law” in Saudi that bases every punishment only on a court judgment. Even NSHR’s statement in point 3 is wrong in its deduction of this rule from the mentioned articles as they do not unequivocally relay this principle.
Human rights in Saudi is a joke and the 2 HR institutions are just a facade. If they are true in their mission, they would address matters of the law first before addressing matters of the application of the law. How can you have criminal procedures code with no clear-cut criminal code !?
Z Theory is correct.
We have rule based on religion, which is to say that the clerical establishment determines the law as it wishes, though with the possibility of intervention by the King.
Flogging without the clear establishment of guilt is wrong.
Indeed, some would argue that to do so betrays the principles of the Rasulullah.
However, the essentiel issue is that without a defined set of laws, any of us can be subject to this or other punishments, imposed by the clerical establishment.
This type of crime, vandalism, and theft begs for an appropriate punishment of community service, aka cleaning up the mess in broad daylight, and if one wants to add public shaming, doing it while wearing a bright coloured jumpsuit with “I am a hooligan” or whatever on it, as well as monetary restitution guaranteed by the family–that is, after appropriate trial with defense counsel and making sure one had the right hooligans, and not the bystanders. Not likely to happen it seems.
In my reading previously on different legal issues it seemed that there is some codified law in Saudi but judges are free to interpret it widely, ignore it, and rule and sentence as it amuses them, although their are efforts to curb this practice.
cruel
I agree with Chiara. Having those hooligans clean up the mess they made (plus interest) would have been a far better punishment.
are we sure those people are the real and only hooligans, and not the ones the too-late police could caught?
the authorities need escapegoat and they got it, that is it IMO…
regarding NSHR, i find it ironic they have anything to say in this matter,,many prisoners put behind bars for decades without any trail at all and NSHR are fine with it..and others detained in Alhasa due to their participation in religious events two days ago
take a look
http://www.shiaprisoners.org/index.php?act=artc&id=879