Saudi Arabia’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice got a new President back in January. He promised then to insure that the members of the organization would ‘prevent vice without committing vice’ and that mistakes would not go unpunished. He’s living up to his word.

Asharq Alawsat reports that Sheikh Abdullatif Al Al-Sheikh has suspended two members, at half-pay, for being overly assertive in their quest to quell wrong-doing.

Saudi religious police clamp down on rogue members
Faisal al-Dakheel

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat – Well-informed sources have revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the President of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice [CPVPV], Sheikh Abdullatif Al Al-Sheikh, has taken the decision to suspend two CPVPV agents and deduct half their salary, while they will also no longer be permitted to participate in any field operations, after they were accused of physically assaulting a member of the public.

Al-Sheikh took this decision after a Saudi citizen issued complaints against the two unnamed CPVPV agents. The Saudi citizen, who was held by the two CPVPV agents in Riyadh more than one month ago, accused them of physically assaulting him and being responsible for his wife collapsing in public. This complaint was brought before a Riyadh police station, which transferred the case to the relevant authorities.

The CPVPV president’s decision to suspend the two agents comes after he issued a memo in early April to all CPVPV branches across Saudi Arabia stressing the importance that no CPVPV agents take any action to pursue suspects or offenders, due to the inherent negative consequences that such action would have on the general public and public property. He affirmed that such pursuits could lead to those being chased – not to mention innocent civilians – being injured.
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