Saudi Arabia Abolishes Flogging As Punishment

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Posted by Shollay April 25, 2020

The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has abolished flogging as a form of punishment in the country.

The country’s Apex court who nolified long term tradition earlier today t said the “human rights advances” are part of reforms pushed by King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz and his son, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).

Naija News recalls that Court-ordered floggings in Saudi Arabia sometimes extending to hundreds of lashes – have long drawn condemnation from human rights groups.

The Saudi supreme court also said the latest reform was intended to “bring the kingdom into line with international human rights norms against corporal punishment”.

Previously the courts could order the flogging of convicts found guilty of offenses ranging from extramarital sex and breach of the peace to murder.

In future, judges will have to choose between fines and/or jail sentences, or non-custodial alternatives like community service, the court said in a statement seen by bioreports on Saturday.

The most high-profile instance of flogging in recent years was the case of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who was arrested in 2012 and sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes and then resentenced to 10 years and 1,000 lashes in 2014 for blogging about free speech and “insulting Islam”.

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