A Saudi Arabian man who was jailed for three years in 1997 has spent a further 12 years behind bars waiting for his father to pardon him, a local human rights group has said.

Eid al-Sinani, 43, was originally sentenced to three years in prison and 200 lashes for beating up his step mother, Musab al-Zahrani, a researcher at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), told Reuters.

However, when the sentence had been served the father asked a judge to keep his son in prison "until he is proven to be righteous by his father".

The judge agreed and 12 years later Sinani is still in jail, Zahrani said.

Under the kingdom's Islamic legal system, law is not systematically codified and judicial rulings are subject to individual judges' interpretation of sharia.

Some judges view children's "disobedience" towards their parents as an offence worthy of lashing and even jail sentences.

Rulings in Saudi Arabia are not based on precedent and, even with the same charge, they can differ from one judge to another.

"We are optimistic that he will be released because he has been jailed for (almost) 16 years and there is no real charge… This is legally problematic because they gave absolute power to the father and the son is left under his mercy," Zahrani said.

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Thu May 23 15:44:09 SAST 2013 ::

Apr 24, 2012

nyonyos

CRUEL DADY
Report Abuse

Apr 24, 2012

SWEETYK

He will come after you (beat you) father, aye ye ye ye 16years iyo.
Report Abuse

Apr 24, 2012

mbaliwe

I gues the dad has forgotten that he even has a son looking at the probabble age difference.

Wish that system could be utilised here in sa....there are animals that deserve to serve for dear life, no parole ,no visitors, no food of their choice, nothing.
Report Abuse

Apr 24, 2012

joyful

he deserves those years! he had no right to dare raise his hand and beat up a woman - wehter it is his step mom or not does not matter! the father was right in this case!
Report Abuse

Apr 24, 2012

Tabza325is

Wow that father is a lunatic how can you lock your own flash and blo0d for that long, unless the father just wanted to get rid of him, if both the step mother and the father can't forgive this guy then they are worse than him and ev1l for wasting someone's life in jail for such a long time, no man or woman is a God they is only one God who can issue such a hush sentence but men ours is find forgiveness for we are no better than the monster we are condemning. It's amazing how people can justify their ev1l deeds by not letting go of their pain.
Report Abuse

Apr 24, 2012

Nwanawamukalaha

Good father.
Report Abuse

Apr 24, 2012

tumzangwana

However, when the sentence had been served the father asked a judge to keep his son in prison "until he is proven to be righteous by his father".
;;;;;;;;;;

thats some hardcore sh!t right there.

Report Abuse

Apr 24, 2012

Mahlol'adibona

Give this man a Bell's. Ba a tella bashanyana ba.
Report Abuse

Read all 8 comments