RIYADH, 23 April — The Shoura Council has started to examine a draft bill defining the rights of defendants and suspects before courts and the police.
The 225-article bill is part of a plan to restructure court procedures in Saudi Arabia, following the government’s decision to allow lawyers to present arguments in criminal courts.
The government is also reviewing a second bill to regulate the legal profession in the Kingdom. That 45-article bill was already approved by the council on April 1.
Lawyers in the Kingdom appear in courts normally only for civil or commercial cases. Suspects in criminal cases are required to defend themselves.
The Shoura Council started to study the new bill on Saturday as part of a package of judicial reforms. It has already approved more than 30 articles of the bill that would also determine the relationship between the Justice Ministry and authorities who summon suspects.
The council’s secretary-general, Hmoud Al-Badr, said the proposed legislation would regulate the relationship between the individual and law enforcement authorities.
“Individuals have the right to safeguard their freedom and dignity, and to be able to defend themselves when charged with an offense. But they have also to respect and apply laws and orders,” he said.
The Cabinet must endorse the bill for it to become law.
Justice Minister Abdullah Al-Sheikh has said the Islamic laws are “the best guarantee” for human rights.
“Kingdom’s criminal law is in a scattered form despite the fact that they are a complete whole when put together. What the Shoura Council is doing is compiling all the rights guaranteed by the Shariah over the centuries into a codified form,” said Muhammad Al-Maqsoudi, a member of the Prosecution and Investigation Commission.
