RIYADH, 3 September 2007 — The High Court in Riyadh is considering the case of Salman Al-Huraisi, a 28-year-old Saudi man who was allegedly beaten to death by members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice after they raided his house in the capital late May.
According to a family member, a judge last week summoned relatives of Al-Huraisi and asked them to prepare all legal documents relating to the case, which was officially transferred to the court by the Commission of Investigation and Prosecution General.
“He asked us to prepare the necessary papers in the case and to return to him when we are again summoned,” said Salman Al-Salman, Al-Huraisi’s cousin.
The trial is likely to begin soon, even though the judge — one of three judges expected to hear the case as it involves homicide charges — did not set a date.
While the High Court is preparing for the trial of two commission members responsible for Salman’s death, a lower court is trying his brother, Ismail, on drug charges.
In addition to Ismail, Abdullah, another of Salman’s brothers, and Ahmed, a relative, have also been arrested on charges relating to narcotics.
Relatives of Salman have now found themselves in a quandary after they were let down by attorney Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, who had represented a woman who filed a lawsuit against the commission and a couple who had been forcefully divorced by a Shariah court over tribal incompatibility. The family had discharged their previous lawyer, Maher Al-Hazmi, and sought Al-Lahem to take up the case.
“I do not understand what happened ... at first Al-Lahem told us that he would take the case and then all of a sudden he told us he was dropping it,” said Ali Al-Huraisi, Salman’s brother.
Speaking to Arab News, Al-Lahem cited “personal reasons” for the refusal.
According to reports, the two suspects in Al-Huraisi’s death are currently held in the Malaz prison. Their names have not been released. Initial reports said that only one commission member was responsible for the death.
Commission members raided Al-Huraisi’s house late May on suspicion that he was selling and consuming alcohol. Bottles of alcohol were found in his bedroom. They also found narcotics in the house. Commission members, allegedly, beat the 28-year-old after arresting him. He, together with his family members, was taken to a commission center in the Uraija district of Riyadh.
A statement from the Governorate of Riyadh had earlier mentioned that over 18 commission members took part in the raid, not including several police officers and members not assigned to the task.
The father of the deceased, Muhammad Al-Huraisi, is calling for the death penalty to the person responsible for his son’s death.
Relatives buried Salman on July 30 in a cemetery in Riyadh after police forced the family to pick up the body from the morgue in a local hospital. The family had refused to bury him, saying they required a copy of the autopsy report beforehand. They later succumbed to pressure and were told the report would be produced in court.
The report, according to the attorney then representing the family, mentioned that the young man had suffered severe blows to his head. One powerful blow caused a deep fracture in the skull that caused part of the brain to come out; another removed one of his eyes.
