What are the main rights of the accused under the Kingdom's laws (criminal justice)?
The Kingdom's judicial system adheres to the principle of the legality of crime and punishment. Thus, Article (38) of the Basic Law of Governance stipulates: "Punishment shall be carried out on a personal basis. There shall be no crime or punishment save on the basis of a Shariah or statutory provision and there shall be no punishment save for deeds committed subsequent to a statutory provision coming into effect". Article (2) of the Law of Criminal Procedure stipulates: "No person shall be arrested, searched, detained, or imprisoned except in the cases specified by the law. Detention or imprisonment shall be carried out only in the places designated for such purposes and for the period prescribed by the competent authority. A person under arrest shall not be subjected to any bodily or moral harm, nor to torture or degrading treatment." Article (3) of the same Law entails that no penal punishment shall be imposed on any person except in connection with a forbidden and punishable act, whether under Shariah principles or under statutory laws. It should be noted that the judiciary in the Kingdom follows the principle of the best interest of the accused. The Law also guarantees the accused the right to be notified of the reason for his detention at the time of his arrest and the right to contact any person of his choice, as set out in Article (116) of the Law. The Law of Criminal Procedure also provides for the right of the accused to appoint a lawyer to defend him in the investigation and trial stages, as set out in Articles (4), (65), and (70) of the Law.
What are the legal procedures for dealing with juvenile delinquents?
Juvenile delinquents are dealt with in accordance with the Juvenile Law promulgated by Royal Decree No. (M/113), dated 18/11/1439H. The Law contains provisions and procedures for dealing with juvenile delinquents, including the procedures for their detention, arrest, interrogation and trial, in an age-appropriate manner that best serves the interest of conduct correction. Following is a link to the Arabic version of the Juvenile Law: (https://www.moj.gov.sa/Documents/Regulations/pdf/77.pdf).
