Justice delayed is justice denied. A simple statement but a very deep and profound one. It is unfortunately the state of affairs in many cases in our Saudi courts. For the victims or the accused who are awaiting verdicts that will eventually change their lives, every minute counts. This is obviously not the case for the judges or officials, but for those who have to bear the burden of facing society and living with suspicion hanging over their heads, waiting is neither easy nor a dignified way to live.
Maybe people have forgotten Fatima and Mansour. That does not mean, however, that their problems have ended and their lives have returned to normal. On the contrary, the couple’s life together has been rent asunder, violated beyond belief. Their children are facing a grim future and the story, once everywhere in the media, has apparently been forgotten.
For those who do not know, Fatima and Mansour were forcibly divorced by a court ruling at her brothers’ request in July 2005. The couple had a happy life together and had no desire to divorce. After being forced to divorce, Fatima chose not to return to live with her brothers; under those circumstances, she had no choice but to go with her children to a women’s shelter. The latest news is that she is still living in the shelter with her children; she cannot leave because her brothers won’t allow it. She is denied visitors; a friend tried to visit and take toys for the children but she was prevented by the shelter authorities from seeing Fatima and the children.
One wonders where this woman’s right to having a normal married life with a husband of her own choosing is. Why has she been forced to live as a virtual prisoner with her children simply to satisfy her brothers? Why were her brothers allowed to force their sister to divorce a man she was happily married to? The most important questions, however, are: Why has our legal system not supported Fatima? And why has the case been allowed to go on without a solution or settlement? Why is the life of a woman, her children and her chosen husband not important enough to be dealt with with all haste and speed? I am not the only one to say that such cases make many people feel unsafe and they raise many questions and doubts.
Fatma’s case is not the only one which has dragged out for a long time in our courts. There is the case of the Qatif girl who was gang raped and then sentenced to lashes and prison along with her rapists. Her case is not yet closed and her life is not back to normal; she still has to face society as a suspect awaiting punishment. The latest news in her case is that her lawyer, Abdulrahman Al-Lahem, has been forbidden to represent her and is facing some disciplinary action which means even more delays. And it also means of course that her life is on hold until the court decides to let her lawyer continue his work.
There is a never-ending flow of news about incredible Saudi court rulings. The latest involved a groom being sentenced to lashing and prison for entering the wedding hall with his bride.
For those who are unfamiliar with the customs of Saudi weddings, the couple march together into the women’s only area where photographs are taken and then, in most cases, the groom then leaves and the bride remains with her female relatives and friends.
In this case, however, a woman was offended that the groom had come into the women’s area and complained to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The commission called the groom the next day to inform him of his crime. He was subsequently sentenced on the basis of a complaint from one woman without having a chance to tell his side of the story. The accusation was made and he was sentenced. That was that.
What is involved here are our social traditions and customs so we may well ask how such a case ended up in court as a criminal offense.
The latest reforms to the Saudi legal system promise much needed changes as soon as they are implemented. The establishment of a Supreme Court is welcome news and it should mean that in such cases as Fatima’s and the Qatif girl’s solutions will be found that will restore peace to their lives and reassure others that justice is above all and is neither delayed nor denied.
