The Court of Grievances will start hearing on July 9 the compensation lawsuits of a number of prisoners who were not released from jails even after they had served out their sentences, or had never been convicted of a crime.

Thirteen people, including expatriates, have filed lawsuits against prison authorities for detaining them for periods ranging between one day and six months after the expiry of their prison terms. Some of them were kept in prison even after courts ruled that they were not involved in any crime, a local daily reported Friday, quoting a judiciary source.

In their petitions, the victims demanded that they be compensated for both material losses and the social stigma suffered because of the illegal detention.

A former member of the Control and Investigations Bureau, Muhammad Al-Monis, said detaining a person after the period of imprisonment was a gross violation of the Kingdom’s laws. “A prison term of a citizen cannot be extended without a fresh court order,” Al-Monis, who is a legal expert, said, adding that it was the right of victims of such violations to claim damages.

A former public prosecutor, Saad Al-Malki, said: “Any prisoner, who has been detained illegally, has the right to take legal action against the department or anyone that restricted his freedom beyond the legally permitted period.”

He added that a court in a damages suit would consider aspects such as the nature of the violation and the type of loss the victim suffered.

He said Article 26 of the Kingdom’s Basic Governance System stipulates that the state should safeguard the human rights of a citizen in line with the Islamic Shariah while Article 36 stipulates that the state should provide safety to all its citizens and expatriates and no one should be treated, detained or imprisoned without the necessary legal authority, he said.