RIYADH, 27 June 2007 — Contrary to media reports yesterday, the man allegedly responsible for the death of Salman Al-Huraisi, who was in the custody of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, was a member of the commission. According to a new statement from the Governorate of Riyadh, the commission member is accused of beating Al-Huraisi whose house was raided because he was suspected of possessing and consuming alcohol.
The governorate said that after announcing the conclusions of the investigation in a statement on Monday carried by the Saudi Press Agency, many Saudi newspapers published stories stating that the person responsible for the man’s death was not a member of the commission. The new statement from the governorate confirms that a commission member is responsible for the man’s death. No name was given in the statement.
The deputy president of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Ibrahim Al-Huwaimil, said that the commission member had an administrative position and should not have taken part in the raid which resulted in Al-Huraisi’s death. In an interview with Orbit TV, Al-Huwaimil said: “He was a member of the commission. He was not a field member but had an administrative job.” This is the first time a member of the commission has been publicly held responsible for a death.
The lawyer representing the deceased’s family, Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, said: “Whether the commission member was officially a member or was part time, the commission’s position has been made worse by the most recent statement. How could the commission allow a nonfield member to take part in a raid?”
Al-Lahem went on to say that the governorate statements were clear that other violations, besides the killing of Al-Huraisi, had been committed by commission members.
In another incident involving the commission, three members are to stand trial in Tabuk for their involvement in the death of a Saudi man in their custody. The 50-year-old man was arrested earlier this month for picking up a woman near an amusement park. After being taken to a commission center, he collapsed and died.
Medical reports in the official investigation said that he had died of natural causes. It was later established that his arrest was a mistake as he worked as a driver for the woman’s family. The Governorate of Tabuk said that three commission members had been transferred to a religious court for alleged violations during the arrest.
