Saudi Arabia abolishes flogging as a form of punishment

The Human Rights Commission of Saudi Arabia says  flogging as a form of punishment has been abolished in the kingdom.

The country’s supreme court said the move is part of efforts to bring the kingdom into line with international human rights norms, according to RTE.

The court said the reform is being undertaken by King Salman and Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince and his son.

It said floggings would now be replaced with fines and jail terms.

Before now, the courts could order the flogging of an individual who has been convicted of an offence.

A recent high-profile instance of flogging was the case of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes in 2014 for “insulting” Islam.

Saudi Arabia has been largely criticised for abusing human rights. Many activists say rights such as freedom of expression is limited and critics of the government earn prison time.

The abolition of corporal punishment in Saudi Arabia comes just days after the kingdom’s human rights record was again in the spotlight following the death of Abullah al-Hamid, an activist.

He reportedly died of a stroke at 69.

Fingers were also pointed at the Saudi government when Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist, was murdered at Saudi’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018.