24 March 2009

RIYADH: The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has called for gradual elections to the Shoura Council in place of the current appointment system, and criticized some security departments and the manner in which the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of the Vice operates.

The comments came in the NSHR’s second annual report, which was released recently. The report criticized the slow pace at which judicial reforms are being implemented and restrictions on women’s rights, Al-Watan newspaper said yesterday.

While the report lauded the government for taking positive steps in protecting human rights, it furnished a long list of observations and recommendations aimed at reforming the Shoura Council, various government departments and the Kingdom’s judiciary.

The report was prepared on the basis of complaints that the NSHR received from members of the public, observations by officials and media reports. The NSHR is a fully independent body established in 2004 to protect human rights envisaged by the Basic Law of Governance.

“The Shoura Council’s activities are limited because of its lack of jurisdiction in matters related to issues affecting the lives of people,” the report commented. It also called on widening the council’s jurisdiction, and granting it powers to monitor national budgets and summon ministers for questioning.

The society also asked the council to do away with its practice of maintaining an atmosphere of secretiveness over its deliberations.

With regard to the police and security departments, the society said, “They should undergo training programs to guarantee suspects are not subjected to excesses ... they should be instructed clearly on the dos and do-nots.”

The report also expressed dismay at how the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice operates and called for members to be trained in respecting the rights of suspects. It also criticized the commission for unjustifiably inspecting private possessions, arresting women without their mahrams (legal guardians) and forcing them to sign documents without allowing them to read them.

The NSHR said there is a need to define the jurisdiction of commission members and punish them for excesses.

The report also affirmed the need to maintain a free media and cited the instance of a Shoura member’s demand to penalize a TV channel that showed some members napping during a council session.

The NSHR report also commented that several relatives of detainees complained about the prolonged detention of suspects without trial by investigators under the Interior Ministry. “The society used to receive complaints from some citizens and expatriates about detentions by the investigation department up to four years without trial. It also received complaints about detainees who were not released even though their trial and period of punishment were over.” The report called on authorities to either put such people on trial or release them as criminal procedures stipulate.

The report called on courts and the Control and Investigations Board to take appropriate action when a suspect complains of torture. It recommended such complaints be investigated by an independent body instead of handing them to the same department against which the complaint was originally filed.

The report also criticized the slow pace at which judicial reforms were being implemented in the country.

The report welcomed new traffic regulations being implemented in the country.

The NSHR urged the authorities to find solutions to problems facing people living in the Kingdom without citizenship or identity documents. It expressed concern at overcrowding in prisons and stressed the need for proper inquiries into prisoners who die while waiting for medical attention.

The report criticized the lack of clarity of regulaations for women’s participation in municipal elections. It also said there is a need to review the “compatibility” clause in the Kingdom’s marriage law, so that it does not contradict Islamic principles.

The report said there is a need to take effective steps to protect women’s rights and ensuring their rights are not lost while implementing or interpreting various regulations. It also called for the need to review legal provisions that consider women unqualified for conducting their affairs. It also said there is a need for regulations to guarantee gender equality in elections.

The society also called for clear definitions for certain legal terms such as ikhtilat (gender-mixing), khulwa (illegal seclusion of men and women) and hijab, and said they should not be left to arbitrary interpretations, which often deprive women of their rights.