Saturday, September 10, 2022
Minimum penalty for executing, participating and publishing Pranks in Saudi Arabia - Lawyer
A lawyer in Saudi Arabia, Majed Qaroub warned that anyone who helped or participated in the publishing the content of pranks will be punished as per the Law, reminding that the minimum penalty for pranks is 500,000 riyals or more with imprisonment of 6 months or more. Download Saudi Expatriates app from Play Store
During an interview, broadcasted on Saudi channel, while speaking on the occurrence of pranks on social media platforms and sites, Qaroub said that attempting to commit a crime is a crime and helping to commit a crime is also a crime and any facilitation in committing violations is also a crime.
- He continued stating that, the Public Prosecution is an investigation and prosecution body and it usually demands the application of the maximum penalties for violations, and the judiciary is the one who rules the penalties. Highlighting that, it includes jail term of up to 2 and 3 years and a fine of millions of riyals, depending on the nature of the offense and its description. See Also : Defaming people with words and racism is crime in Saudi Arabia
- Qaroub added that the minimum penalty in all cases is 500,000 riyals or more and imprisonment of 6 months or more. These are the penalties that we assume and expect will deter anyone who misuses any means of social media.
- While speaking regarding dealing the penalties with prank owners who are below the legal age of 18 years, the Lawyer confirmed that the law applies to everyone, unfortunately most of those who appear on social media are young and juveniles.
- The juveniles have special treatment in the Law, considering they are below the legal age and this does not exempt them from penalties, imprisonment, arrest and interrogation and carried out with certain procedures that take into account that they are young and juveniles. Recommend : Saudi Prosecution sets 6 objectives for the law of protection from abuse
- A consultant psychiatrist, Dr. Jamal Al-Tuwairqi explained that some pranks may cause psychological damage to a person and may even lead to a heart attack.
- The consultant further said, some pranks may be the beginning of a person's phobia, due to a prank or a situation he may not overcome, even it can be a good news, if presented in a sudden way, may not suit some and cause a fainting state. He told the story of a child who lost his speech because of a prank, after he saw his father wearing a scary mask. Read : What Law states on Beggary in Saudi Arabia
