Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — The Prisons and Detention Centers Oversight Wing at the Public Prosecution has taken legal measures against one official of a detention agency for the illegal detention of a person.

An official source at the Public Prosecution said that it has been proved from investigations that the individual was detained without the support of any legal document that substantiates the detention. The Public Prosecution wing has verified the case and written to the competent authority to hold the perpetrator accountable immediately on the basis of Article 40 of the Criminal Procedure Law.

The source emphasized that the Public Prosecution continues its mission of carrying out judicial oversight and inspection so as to ensure that no one is either detained without any legal document or locked up in an undesignated place. The Public Prosecution receives detainees’ complaints and issues directives to treat the detainees strictly in line with the provisions of the concerned laws.

“The Public Prosecution also receives complaints from those, who were detained without any legal document, on the electronic portal of the Public Prosecution or through the Public Prosecution Services option in Absher portal,” the source said while stressing that individuals have rights and guarantees that their freedoms are not restricted. It is also not allowed to arrest or detain individuals except under cases that have legal basis. The concerned officials are carrying out monitoring and inspection tours of detention centers around the clock to ensure that there is no violation of the regulations.

It is noteworthy that the Criminal Procedure Law and the Imprisonment and Detention Law prohibited restricting the freedom of individuals without a legal justification, and stressed that transgression in such matters warranted strict accountability.