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Saudi Justice Ministry: Terrorists Get Fair Trial Like All other Suspects | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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The general court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AFP)


Riyadh – The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Justice stressed on Friday that all suspects standing trial at its courts are receiving their rights to a fair trial that meets all requirements, conditions and standards.

Official Ministry spokesman Sheikh Mansour al-Qafazi said criminal law organizes these court proceedings and provides a fair trial to all the accused.

He added that all sentences against terror suspects are reviewed and inspected by the cassation court and higher tribunal.

The ministry is committed to all legal conditions that are applied in the Kingdom, he declared in reference to the high court’s approval of 14 death penalty sentences against terror convicts.

Qafazi explained that death sentences go through the concerned court of cassastion and high court before being approved, meaning that they pass several processes that involve 13 judges before a final ruling is made.

Throughout this process, the accused enjoy all of their judicial rights, including the right to a defense lawyer.

The trials of the suspects take place in the presence of their loved ones, as well as media and human rights groups representatives, continued Qafazi.

In cases where the suspects are non-Saudi, the embassies of their countries are informed of the trial so that their loved ones can be contacted to attend. The defendants are given enough time to prepare their defense.

Harsh sentences are only laid down for the most dangerous crimes, he stated, including those that threaten the security and safety of society and violate human rights and dignity.

“Saudi courts operate independently and according to the main system of rule of Islamic Sharia,” he stressed.