Electronic encyclopaedia of Saudi laws planned
Habib Shaikh

JEDDAH — An electronic encyclopaedia of Saudi laws containing 22,000 pages is planned to be published by the Research and Development Centre of the King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU) in Jeddah. The centre has been publishing a print version of the encyclopaedia for the past 34 years.

“We have decided to publish the electronic version to cope with modern developments,” according to Mamdouh Ba-Owaidan, the centre’s director.

Ba-Owaidan said that the e-encyclopaedia will include all rules and regulations in the Kingdom that were issued through royal decrees and ministerial decisions. He explained that these rules include security strategy to combat extremism and terrorism, anti-money laundering law, copyright protection law and the foreign investment law.

Khaleej Times reports on Saudi efforts to put the entire body of Saudi laws on-line, available to all. E-governance is a good thing, but Saudi Arabia needs to codify laws and standardize punishments as part of the massive legal reforms now being undertaken.