Both Saudi Gazette and Arab News run stories about the case of ‘Um Faisal’, the Saudi woman who was detained, along with her daughter and driver, by member of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. They were put into a car, which crashed, then abandoned at the crash site. She has sued one religious policeman and is now trying to sue the Commission as a whole for its violation of her civil rights.
This Saudi Gazette article includes an interview with the woman.
Umm Faisal’s Case Hearing Begins
Suzan ZawawiTHE third hearing at the Court of Grievances of Umm Faisal’s compensation case against the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice started on Saturday.
Umm Faisal is seeking damages from the Commission for alleged harassment of her and her daughters in Riyadh in 2003.The Court of Grievances previously requested Abdurrahman Al-Lahem, her lawyer, to submit evidence and documents proving Umm Faisal’s claim.
“We are requesting compensation from the Commission due to the harm it inflicted on my client,” explained Al-Lahem. “By law a government body must pay compensation if it brings harm to a citizen.”
Umm Faisal was the first person to file a case against the Commission in 2004 after an incident in which her driver was assaulted and her brand new car worth SR83,000, was damaged.
In an exclusive interview with the Saudi Gazette, Umm Faisal narrated what happened that night:
…
Arab News‘s article focuses more on the legal process.
Hearing in Lawsuit Against Commission Postponed Again
Raid Qusti, Arab NewsRIYADH, 2 September 2007 — The trial involving a 50-year-old Saudi woman who is suing the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice over a 2003 incident has been postponed for the second time after a representative from the commission failed to gather legal documents in the hearing at the Court of Grievances in Riyadh yesterday.
According to Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, the attorney representing Umm Faisal who has asked the media not to publish her name, the judge has postponed the trial to Sept. 18. “The attorney representing the commission asked the judge for more time to gather legal documents from various government departments,†Al-Lahem said. “He told the judge the time given to him was not enough.â€
During the initial hearing set for July 2, no representative from the commission appeared at the Grievances Court and hence the trial was postponed to Sept. 1.
…
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
October:01:2007 - 16:11
[...] mistreatment at the hands of the religious police. In a case that has gotten much media attention, a woman named Umm Faisal has been trying to sue for damages for harassment against herself and her [...]
February:02:2008 - 23:23
If this was from the commission than a public example should be made of them.
However there is nothing in the article even identifying the defendants in any way. Could it not have been imposters posing as commission members to try to abduct women?
February:03:2008 - 02:28
This case is well-documented. It wasn’t ‘volunteers’ involved, but members of the Commission. Note that I’m quoting a respected Saudi newspaper here, published in Jeddah, not some off-the-wall dissident publication.
As a rule, Saudi papers do not publish the name of officials accused of crimes. They rarely do so for anyone charged with a crime, for that matter, even following executions. The sole exceptions I can think of are related to terrorism.