JEDDAH: A defamation case was filed yesterday against two Saudi newspapers by the lawyer representing the family of Salman Al-Huraisi, 28, who was allegedly beaten to death by members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in May last year.
Lawyer Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, told Arab News that the newspapers — Al-Riyadh and Okaz — have “slandered the deceased and his family,” and aimed to influence court proceedings on the case.
Al-Lahem has filed the case after the two newspapers published a report last month that commission members had arrested a group of men, identifying one man in particular as Al-Huraisi’s brother, for selling alcohol.
The report, which was accompanied by a blurred photograph of Al-Huraisi’s brother, stated that this “is the brother of Salman Al-Huraisi, the man who was arrested and died last year after a raid by the commission on charges of owning and selling drugs.”
Al-Lahem said that in line with Saudi Publication and Printing Law he had sent letters to the papers’ editors asking for a printed apology.
However, he did not receive a response. He also contacted the Human Rights Commission, which asked the two papers to clarify their stance on the issue. Al-Lahem said that as this is a defamation case, he has — in accordance with a royal decree — filed a lawsuit with the Ministry of Culture and Information. The Media Violations Committee at the ministry is expected to consider the case, which is directed at the two newspapers’ editors in chief and the reports’ authors. Saudi Publication and Printing Law considers writers responsible for what they write and editors in chief responsible for what is published in their publications. If found guilty the two newspapers could be fined up to SR50,000 each.
Al-Lahem said that the reports are in clear violation of Article Seven of the Saudi Publication and Printing Law. He added that the reports were in violation of the ethics of journalism, as they did not mention the identities of the other men arrested.
“The newspapers refer to commission members accused in the death of Salman Al-Huraisi with their initials, just like other cases that have not been proved yet. Why is this rule only applied to some people? Are we not all equal under the law?” said Al-Lahem.
“I’m determined to take it all the way to the end. I’m afraid targeting a dead man in his grave, assuming he is helpless, will not go down easily,” he added.
In his complaint, Al-Lahem has asked for the two newspapers to publish apologies and corrections giving them the same space.
Arab News contacted the office of Al-Riyadh newspaper’s Editor In Chief Turki Al-Sudairi who declined to comment and referred us to the paper’s lawyer Zamel Al-Rakkadh, who was unavailable for comment.
Professor Abdullah Al-Towairiqi, a media professor at King Saud University and a Shoura Council member, said, “It’s about time that we have a code of conduct that regulates the relationship between journalists and society. We also need to update the Saudi Publication and Printing Law to include electronically published material.”
Al-Towairiqi, who is a well known critic of Saudi media, said, “If this case establishes a precedent, then it will help in building a base for ethics and professionalism in Saudi journalism. It may also help expose the motives behind publishing news to form public opinion and influence court proceedings?”
