Courts probe cases of women denied marriage papers

Courts in the Kingdom have reportedly denied 659 women their marriage documents.
Riyadh ranked first, with 162 cases, followed by Jeddah, with 137.
Former Judge Talib Al-Talib said that some women are prevented from gaining possession of their marriage documents owing to a stipulation in the legislative system.
“However, men who are found guilty of withholding marriage certificates after a judicial order was passed allowing possession will be penalized, since blackmail is classified as a major crime,” he said.
Punishment is doubled if the husband tampers with the wife’s documents or damages them, he said.
Al-Talib said that the wife has a right to access her marriage document, the family card, the marriage contract and the national ID card.
“Cases involving divorce and separation are reviewed by the general court, but other cases will be reviewed by the penal court, especially if the husband has obtained the documents illegally or underhandedly,” he said.
“Documents related to children, such as birth certificates and vaccination certificates, are the right of the parent who has custody of the children.”
These cases are classified within the possession recovery cases as urgent, according to the system.