JEDDAH: Mazen Abdul Jawad, the Saudi man who went on an LBC program and bragged about his sex life, along with his alleged accomplices, may have to defend against hiraba charges. Hiraba defined as waging unlawful warfare (in speech or action) against the state and society.
If the defendants face such a charge, they would be fighting capital punishment. Hiraba is in a class of crime known as hadd, whose punishment is specifically prescribed in the Holy Qur’an as death.
“The prosecution may request the application of Hadd Al-Hiraba to the defendants which entails beheading,” said a source from the Prosecution and Investigation Commission (PIC), who spoke to Arab News only on condition he not be identified.
The PIC prosecutor also said Abdul Jawad — who was arrested early Friday morning along with two accomplices who also appeared on the program — may end up in a general court because of the severity of the crime. Currently the case is in summary court.
The men could also end up facing a potentially lesser charge of publicizing vice, whose punishment is at the discretion (ta’azir) of the judge rather than one that is specifically prescribed under the rules of hadd offenses.
The police are also still searching for a fourth man.
Jeddah police spokesman Lt. Col. Suleiman Al-Mutawae said the police had detained the fourth suspect’s brother as he was boarding a flight to Cairo.
The authorities have not revealed the names of the other three suspects.
Abdul Jawad appeared on the LBC program “Bold Red Line” on July 15, speaking about sex, including frank talk about his supposed sexual adventures.
“This is where it all happens,” he says at one point as he stands in his bedroom, which is heavily decorated in red. He was shown holding up sex toys and oils, bragging about having pre-marital sex when he was 14.
The other suspects are presumably the men who appeared with him in the segment.
