Article 82 of the Saudi Antiquities Law
المادة 82 من نظام الآثار والمتاحف والتراث العمراني
Anyone who takes part, by agreement, incitement or assistance, in committing any violation under the Law is punished with the same penalty set for it.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يعاقب كل من اشترك بطريق الاتفاق، أو التحريض، أو المساعدة في ارتكاب أي من المخالفات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام بالعقوبة نفسها المقررة لها.
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 82 explained in plain English
This article extends the penalty to partners in the violation.
- Forms of participation:
- Agreement to commit the violation.
- Incitement to it.
- Assistance in committing it.
- Scope: any of the violations provided for in the Law.
- Penalty: the same penalty set for the violation.
This means that a partner is not punished with a lighter penalty merely because he did not carry out the act himself; someone who helped with excavation without a license, for example by providing equipment or guiding to the site, or who incited another to seize an antiquity, is punished with the penalty set for the violation itself.
The penalty meant is the penalty set in the article that provides for the violation, within its minimum and maximum limits. The article does not state how agreement, incitement or assistance is to be proved; that is left to the general rules of evidence and investigation.
Article 83 follows, which punishes an attempt at the violation with a penalty not exceeding half the maximum penalty set for it, and it is preceded by Article 81 on penalties relating to licenses. The Law thus widens the circle of liability to include the partner and the person who attempted the violation.
Anyone facing an accusation of participating in an antiquities violation should consult a lawyer specializing in criminal cases.
Practical example
A person agreed with others to excavate for antiquities at an old site without a license, and provided them with detection devices and a vehicle without taking part in the digging. Under this article he is punished with the same penalty set for the violation of excavating without a license, because he participated by agreement and assistance.
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 82 of the Saudi Antiquities Law
Is someone who helped steal antiquities punished?
Yes. Anyone who takes part, by agreement, incitement or assistance, in committing any violation under the Law is punished with the same penalty set for it.
Is a partner's penalty lighter than the perpetrator's?
No. The article provides that the partner is punished with the same penalty set for the violation.
More articles on Recording Antiquities Violations and Confiscation
- Article 78
The smuggling provisions of the Unified Customs Law of the Gulf Cooperation Council states apply to smuggling antiquities, and the Customs Authority hands seized antiquities over to the Authority.
تطبق على تهريب الآثار الأحكام الخاصة بالتهريب، المنصوص عليها في نظام (قانون) الجمارك الموحد لدول مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية، على أن تقوم مصلحة الجمارك بتس
- Article 79
Without prejudice to the rights of bona fide third parties, movable antiquities involved in violations and the funds derived from them, and the tools, machines and means of transport used in specified violations, are confiscated by court judgment.
مع عدم الإخلال بحقوق الغير (حسن النية)؛ تصادر بحكم قضائي الآثار المنقولة التي خالف حائزها أحكام المواد (الثانية، والسادسة والثلاثين، والأربعين) من هذا النظام، و
- Article 80
Without prejudice to penalties, anyone who found antiquities or obtained them in violation must hand them over, anyone who damaged registered sites must pay compensation, and anyone who demolished or built without approval must remove it and restore the site at his expense.
مع عدم الإخلال بالعقوبات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام: 1 - يُلزم كل من عثر على آثار، أو استولى على آثار مملوكة للدولة بصورة غير مشروعة، أو حصل على آثار بطريقة مخ
- Article 81
Without prejudice to penalties, where survey, excavation, export, trading or museum licenses are violated, the committee provided for in Article 90 may stop the activity, or suspend or permanently cancel the license.
مع عدم الإخلال بالعقوبات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام، في حالة مخالفة الأحكام والشروط المتعلقة بتراخيص المسح، أو التنقيب، أو التصدير، أو الاتجار، أو المتاحف؛ فلل
- Article 83
Attempting any violation of the Law is punished by no more than half of the maximum penalty prescribed for it.
يعاقب على الشروع في أي من المخالفات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام بما لا يتجاوز نصف الحد الأعلى للعقوبة المقررة لها.
- Article 84
If a violation is punishable under the Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage and under another law, the more severe penalty is applied.
إذا كانت المخالفة معاقباً عليها بموجب هذا النظام ونظام آخر؛ فتطبق العقوبة الأشد.
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.