Whipping has officially ended in Saudi Arabia

According to the Saudi Gazette, the Saudi Ministry of Justice said in a statement on Twitter that "now the alternative to whipping will be imprisonment or fines or both."

The courts will hear cases, review them and decide each case according to its nature.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, Waleed Al-Samani, has issued a circular to all courts in this regard. In it, he was apprised of the Supreme Court's decision that the courts should now impose imprisonment or a fine or both instead of flogging as punishment.

Meanwhile, the President of the Human Rights Commission, Dr. Oud Al-Awd, welcomed the announcement of the Minister of Justice.

Saudi Ministry of Justice on Twitter

Supreme judicial council in #Saudi Arabia abolishes flogging as punishment.

— Saudi Ministry of Justice (@MojKsa_EN) May 19, 2020

The General Commission of the Supreme Court had issued a guideline for the courts based on the guidelines which directed the courts to impose fines or imprisonment instead of flogging the perpetrators of various criminal offenses. Can pronounce both sentences at the same time.

The move is a significant step forward in advancing the human rights agenda in Saudi Arabia.

According to the commission, "this judicial reform will have a positive impact on the lives of citizens and foreigners residing in Saudi Arabia."

The Saudi Human Rights Commission said there had long been a consensus in the kingdom that flogging did not fit the current situation.

In many cases, the judges themselves were interpreting the law and flogging the accused.

It may be recalled that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, had issued a decree last month abolishing the death sentence for serious offenders under the age of 18 and commuting it to imprisonment.

Explaining the royal decree, Dr. Awad al-Awad, President of the Human Rights Commission in Saudi Arabia, said: "If a person (male or female) committed a serious crime in his teens and was sentenced to death So now this punishment will not be implemented. Instead, he faces up to 10 years in prison. ''

A human rights group affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has welcomed Saudi Arabia's decision to abolish the death penalty for flogging and juvenile delinquency for various crimes.

According to Sabq News and Okaz, the General Body of the Saudi Supreme Court had issued an order not to give flogging in the penal punishments on the basis of the royal decision issued on 24 Jamadi Al-Thani 1441 AH and 20 Rabi Al-Thani 1414 AH.