RIYADH, 27 April 2008 — The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice yesterday defended the actions of one of its members at a hearing into a case filed by a Saudi woman who says she suffered psychological, physical, and material damages because of him.
The woman, known as Umm Faisal, is seeking compensation for what happened to her and her daughter outside a Riyadh shopping mall in 2004 when commission members accused them of not conforming to customs of decency, while waiting in a car with their driver.
The women were made to sit inside a commission vehicle and prevented from contacting their family. The commission member then drove them in their own car to a commission center. On the way the car crashed into a wall, leaving the women in a state of panic and horror. The two women were only rescued when a passerby stopped and helped them contact their family.
“They are now contradicting themselves,” said Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, the lawyer representing Umm Faisal. “Last time they said the commission cannot be held responsible for the ‘personal mistakes’ of one of their members. Today they said their member’s actions were part of the arrest procedures,” said Al-Lahem.
He added that Umm Faisal — in addition to financial compensation — is seeking to send a message to the commission that it needs to respect people’s human rights.
“We believe that we will be compensated when all of this is over. The real catalyst for the claim is to make the commission learn that they are not above the law. It’s a chance for them to rectify their employees’ behavior,” he added. During yesterday’s hearing at the Court of Grievances, the lawyer representing the commission asked the judge for time to prepare a response to new evidence submitted by Al-Lahem. The next trial is to be held on June 14.
