A local newspaper reported recently about the story of a Saudi citizen who was assaulted by three members from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. The man was walking at 9:30 p.m. when the members approached him in an unmarked car and beat him up. He was dragged by force in the car to the station where he received another beating before the commission members realized that it was a case of mistaken identity. They not only apologized to him verbally, but also put the apology on paper.
The man did not accept this apology and has demanded that these members who injured him physically and emotionally appear in court. He has said that the public must hear about this case and see that, so far, no one has been held accountable. He wants the National Society for Human Rights to issue a statement on the case.
Personally, I began fearing the commission by simply hearing how they deal with citizens. I am afraid that what happened to this man might happen to me. Why hasn’t the commission reacted to these situations in which people are innocent? The answer is very simple: The commission wants to portray itself as infallible.
The commission should cede to the police that which is the duty of the police: Detaining and questioning suspect. We have an experienced police force, with officers that have been trained to determine whether suspects are innocent or guilty. Commission members are good at neither arresting people nor questioning them. That is why these mistakes are committed.
We recognize the positive role of the virtue commission, but it should be open to receiving criticisms. It should review the conduct of some of its representatives in order to avoid these mistakes.
