Saudi Arabia Establishes Whistleblower Protection Center with Legal, Security, and Financial Assistance
Saudi Arabia has established a new center to safeguard whistleblowers and witnesses to crimes.
The Attorney General, Sheikh Saud Al-Mojeb, authorized the center's creation in accordance with Article Four of the Whistleblowers, Witnesses, Experts and Victims Protection Law.
The center aims to shield individuals from threats, danger, or harm using methods outlined in Article Fourteen of the law, which include security measures, identity and data concealment, and relocation with alternative employment and support services such as legal, psychological, and social guidance.
The text discusses the protection measures in place for witnesses and whistleblowers in Saudi Arabia.
These measures include security escorts, financial assistance, and the ability for witnesses to submit protection requests under specific conditions.
The center providing protection can also intervene if the witness is in imminent danger.
Those who harm witnesses under protection face criminal penalties, including up to three years in prison and fines of up to SR5 million ($1.3 million).
Tariq Al-Suqair, an accredited lawyer, emphasized the duty of each state to establish protective procedures for individuals cooperating with the justice system and potentially facing physical harm.
Saudi Arabia, which is a party to the UN organized crime convention since 2005, has domestic laws to safeguard victims and witnesses of crimes.
The Kingdom's recent measures adhere to Article 24 of the convention, which emphasizes the need for protecting witnesses from retaliation or intimidation.
The Public Prosecution in Saudi Arabia is planning to establish a center and a witness protection program, which is anticipated to enhance the control against complex organized crimes once implemented.