Article 26 of the Saudi AIDS Prevention Law
المادة 26 من نظام الوقاية من متلازمة العوز المناعي المكتسب الإيدز وحقوق المصابين وواجباتهم
The article requires referring violations of Articles 6, 16, 17, 18 and 21 to the Public Prosecution, with the competent court considering them, applying the Article 24 penalty, and hearing any other violation connected with them.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- تحيل الوزارة والجهات الصحية العامة المخالفة الناشئة من الإخلال بأحكام المواد (السادسة) و(السادسة عشرة) و(السابعة عشرة) و(الثامنة عشرة) و(الحادية والعشرين) من النظام إلى النيابة العامة؛ للنظر في إقامة الدعوى أمام المحكمة المختصة.
2- تتولى المحكمة المختصة النظر في القضايا الناشئة من مخالفة أحكام المواد (السادسة) و(السادسة عشرة) و(السابعة عشرة) و(الثامنة عشرة) و(الحادية والعشرين), وتطبيق العقوبة المقرة بموجب المادة (الرابعة والعشرين) من النظام. وتتولى كذلك النظر ابتداءً في أي من المخالفات الأخرى المنصوص عليها في النظام وتقرير العقوبة المقرة لها، وذلك إذا اقترنت المخالفة بأي من مخالفات أحكام المواد (السادسة) و(السادسة عشرة) و(السابعة عشرة) و(الثامنة عشرة) و(الحادية والعشرين).
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 26 explained in plain English
This article specifies the judicial path for the more severe violations in the Law.
1. Referral to the Public Prosecution: the Ministry of Health and the public health bodies refer to the Public Prosecution the violations arising from breach of the provisions of the following articles, for it to consider bringing the case before the competent court:
- 6: the rights of the pregnant infected woman, her fetus and the custody of her children.
- 16: confidentiality of the infected person's information.
- 17: notifying the spouse and summoning the other party and contacts.
- 18: the infected person's commitment to preventive guidance and not to deliberately transmit infection.
- 21: the prohibition on discrimination against infected persons.
2. Jurisdiction of the competent court:
- It hears the cases arising from violation of these five articles.
- It applies the penalty provided for in Article 24, which is a fine not exceeding SAR 100,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 5 years, or both.
3. Connected violations: the competent court also hears in the first instance any of the other violations provided for in the Law and determines the penalty for them, if they are connected with any of the violations of the five articles. If, for example, a violation outside the five articles and a violation of Article 16 occur together in one incident, the court hears both violations together, rather than the Article 25 committee hearing the other violation separately.
Practical effect: the Law divides violations between two paths: the administrative committee path under Article 25 for the lighter violations, and the Public Prosecution and court path under this article for the more severe violations and what is connected with them. The article does not name the competent court.
A person who is a party to a case of this kind would be well advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
Practical example
A female employee at a hospital in Riyadh disclosed the secret of a patient living with AIDS to the patient's colleagues, and the company where he works then dismissed him because of his disease after the news spread. Under the article, the violation of disclosing the secret is referred to the Public Prosecution, and the competent court may hear the dismissal violation in the first instance because it is connected with it.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 26 of the Saudi AIDS Prevention Law
Who hears cases of disclosing an AIDS patient's secret?
They are referred to the Public Prosecution to consider bringing the case, and the competent court hears them and applies the Article 24 penalty.
What if a lighter violation is connected with a more severe one?
The competent court hears the other violation in the first instance and determines its penalty if it is connected with any of the violations of Articles 6, 16, 17, 18 and 21.
Articles this article refers to
- Article 6
The article requires necessary health care for a pregnant woman living with the virus and her fetus, and bars forcing her to abort or depriving her of custody or care of her children because of her infection.
تقدم الرعاية الصحية اللازمة للمرأة الحامل المصابة ولجنينها, ولا يجوز إجبارها على الإجهاض أو حرمانها من حضانة أطفالها أو رعايتهم بسبب إصابتها.
- Article 16
The article obliges all workers in health bodies and others to keep confidential the information of the infected person, and bars disclosing it except in the cases the Law sets out.
على جميع العاملين في الجهات الصحية وغيرها المحافظة على سرية المعلومات الخاصة بالمصاب, ولا يجوز إفشاء هذه المعلومات إلا في الأحوال المبينة في النظام، وتحدد اللائ
- Article 17
The article requires a health body to notify an infected spouse, obliges that spouse to notify the other party and sign an acknowledgment of this, and requires the body to summon the other party and contacts, test them and assess the position of those dealing with the infected.
إذا ثبتت لدى جهة صحية إصابة أحد الزوجين، فعليها تبليغه بذلك، ويجب عليه تبليغ الطرف الآخر, والتوقيع على إقرار بذلك. وعلى الجهة الصحية استدعاء الطرف الآخر والمخال
- Article 18
The article binds a person living with AIDS to follow the preventive guidance set by the health bodies and not to deliberately transmit infection to others.
على المصاب أن يلتزم بالإرشادات الوقائية التي تقررها الجهات الصحية, وعليه الالتزام بعدم تعمد نقل العدوى إلى غيره.
- Article 21
The article bars any act or omission that constitutes discrimination against persons living with AIDS and leads to degrading their dignity, curtailing their rights or exploiting them because of their infection.
يحظر كل فعلٍ أو امتناعٍ يشكل تمييزاً ضد المصابين ويؤدي إلى الحط من كرامتهم أو الانتقاص من حقوقهم أو استغلالهم بسبب إصابتهم.
- Article 24
The article punishes a person who violates Articles 6, 16, 17, 18 and 21 with a fine of up to SAR 100,000 or imprisonment of up to 5 years, or both, preserving the injured person's right to compensation.
دون إخلال بأي عقوبة أشد منصوص عليها في أنظمة أخرى، يعاقب كل من يخالف أحكام المواد (السادسة) و(السادسة عشرة) و(السابعة عشرة) و(الثامنة عشرة) و(الحادية والعشرين)
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The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.