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In the future, compliance with “international human rights standards (against) physical punishment” in Saudi Arabia must be ensured, according to the decision of the Court of Justice in April.
Previously, the flogging denounced violently by human rights organizations was a punishment for homicides, but also for disrupting “public order” and extramarital affairs. In such cases, judges will in the future impose prison terms or fines or an obligation to provide community service.
The move was a move taken as part of reforms led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The crown prince, who has been de facto ruling the country’s policies since 2017, is fighting for the economic and social opening of Saudi Arabia, but according to human rights organizations, this is accompanied by further repression against critics.
The court decision was released after human rights defender Abdallah al-Hamid died in prison on Friday of complications from a stroke. Al-Hamid, 69, had served an eleven-year sentence, according to Amnesty International, among other things because he had broken “loyalty to the royal family” and disrupted “public order”.
In recent years, the case of blogger Raif Badawi has been in the news again and again. In 2014, because he publicly defended freedom of expression, Badawi was sentenced to a thousand lashes and ten years in prison for insulting Islam.
Saudi Arabia has received international criticism for massive human rights violations. Many human rights defenders are detained there, despite unclear allegations. Critics blame Crown Prince Salman in particular. They also see him as the real man behind the murder of Saudi government critic Jamal Khashoggi.
