JEDDAH, 7 May 2007 — More than 11,000 Saudi and foreign prisoners serving jail sentences for committing petty crimes in various parts of the Kingdom will benefit from an amnesty declared by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Friday.
“More than 11,000 men and women in the Kingdom’s jails will be freed under the new amnesty,” said Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Harithy, director general of prisons, adding that the amnesty declared by the king last year freed about 11,500 prisoners.
Harithy said jail authorities in different regions would start releasing prisoners after receiving the terms and conditions for the release. He added that a panel — comprising representatives of the governorate, police and the prison department — would select prisoners to be released on the basis of specific rules and conditions.
The king declared the latest amnesty on the occasion of his tour of the northern regions, which was scheduled to begin on Saturday but was postponed as a result of the death of Makkah Gov. Prince Abdul Majeed.
Interior Minister Prince Naif said convicts who pose a danger to state security or who have committed serious crimes would not benefit from the amnesty. “The pardon covers convicts in all of the Kingdom’s prisons, who do not pose a danger to security and are not involved in major crimes,” he added.
King Abdullah also instructed payment of debts and blood money for prisoners, who have insufficient funds of their own, to allow their reintegration into society.
Harithy hoped that the amnesty would encourage prisoners to change their lives and become good citizens. “If they repeat the same mistakes they will never benefit from future amnesties,” he warned. He also urged the public to welcome the freed prisoners to help them merge with society.
The director general further emphasized the government’s desire to transform the country’s prisons into reformatories. “We encourage inmates to take part in educational programs in prisons,” he said, reiterating the authorities’ desire to deal with prisoners humanely and change them by providing education and religious advice.
According to judicial sources, 45 percent of cases in the Kingdom are related to private rights and that Saudi courts annually receive an average of 24,000 such cases. Cases related to divorce and expenditure account for 40 percent of family issues. Blood money for murder and road accident cases do not exceed 10 percent, one source said. Crimes such as theft and drug trafficking represent 40 percent of the total cases referred to courts, he added.
Maj. Gen. Ahmed Al-Zahrani, director of prisons in Jeddah, said the release of prisoners in the city would start this week. “We cannot say now how many will be released because we have to study the file of each prisoner before taking a decision,” Al-Zahrani said.
Families of prisoners across the country have welcomed the amnesty with immense happiness, hoping that their imprisoned relatives will benefit from the pardon and join them in a few days.
