ABHA, 10 March 2008 — Officials of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Manhal, east of Abha, have arrested two Saudi women for being in a state of khulwa (seclusion with unrelated men) at a rest house in the city.

The officials arrested the two women as well as a Saudi and an Indonesian man as they were leaving the rest house located close to Al-Salam Recreation Center in Namees, said Lt. Col. Abdullah Al-Dhafran, acting spokesman for the Asir police.

The arrest took place after the commission learned that the men and women were not close relatives, Al-Dhafran said. “Security officers are still investigating the men and women,” he said, adding that their files had been handed over to the Board of Investigation and Public Prosecution.

Al-Dhafran said the members of the commission who followed up on the case had found bottles of alcohol and remains of cigarettes filled with hashish inside the rest house. It is not yet clear whether the rest house belonged to the arrested Saudi man or he had rented the facility.

Commission officials usually raid suspected locations only after closely watching activities, collecting adequate information and observing the movements of suspected people.

Speaking of punitive measures taken in such cases, Muhammad Al-Saiary, a legal consultant, told Arab News that the arrested men and women had committed two crimes.

“First, the crime of khulwa. Such cases are transferred to the Board of Investigation and Public Prosecution and then to the summary court to punish the culprits,” he said, adding that they usually are sentenced to jail for a month or two and 100 lashes. The punishment will increase if the arrested admit that they committed adultery.

The second crime is possession and consumption of drugs, Al-Saiary said, adding that such cases are transferred to the Drug Combating Department for investigation. After that the case will go first to the public prosecutor and then to the court.

“There is no punishment specified for this crime and it is left to the descretion of the judges to decide the penalties depending on the quantity of drugs an individual possessed,” he said.

The punishment will also depend on their social and official status. If they hold a senior government job, the punishment will increase and will include both jail and lashes.

“In accordance with the law, a jail sentence for violating honor will lead to a government employee being sacked from his job,” Al-Saiary told Arab News.