Article 154 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 154 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الباب الثامن: الأحكام الواجبة التنفيذ وإجراءات تنفيذها وضوابطه
Orders to carry out criminal sentences are issued by the administrative governor, except for sentences whose execution requires an order from the King or his delegate.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
فيما عدا الأحكام الجزائية التي يكون تنفيذها بعد صدور أمر من الملك أو ممن ينيبه، يصدر أمر تنفيذ الأحكام الجزائية من الحاكم الإداري.
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 154 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law specifies who issues the order to carry out criminal sentences.
The article sets a general rule and an exception:
- General rule: the order to carry out criminal sentences is issued by the administrative governor.
- Exception: criminal sentences whose execution follows an order from the King or his delegate; these fall outside the general rule.
The article does not list the sentences whose execution depends on an order from the King or his delegate, and it does not describe the procedure for requesting an execution order. It only states who issues the order in each of the two cases.
This article is connected to the execution articles that follow it in the Regulations. Article 155 also makes the administrative governor the person who determines who carries out sentences of death, amputation, stoning, flogging, or retaliation (qisas) against a person or for lesser injuries, and it requires the person carrying them out to be of good character, to know how to carry them out, not to be a member of the prison administration, and not to be related to the person subject to the sentence up to the fourth degree or hostile to him. Article 153 deals with suspending and canceling a discretionary (ta'zir) prison sentence.
Anyone who needs to know the stage of execution of a sentence issued in their case should consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
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 154 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
Who issues the order to carry out a criminal sentence?
Orders to carry out criminal sentences are issued by the administrative governor, except for sentences whose execution follows an order from the King or his delegate.
Are there sentences that can only be carried out by order of the King?
Yes. The article refers to criminal sentences whose execution follows an order from the King or his delegate, but it does not list them.
Does the administrative governor decide who carries out the sentence?
Article 155 of the Regulations provides that the administrative governor determines who carries out sentences of death, amputation, stoning, flogging, and retaliation (qisas).
More articles on Executing Criminal Judgments
- Article 149
This article of the Regulations allows any party to request reconsideration of a final judgment imposing a penalty even after it is executed or the penalty lapses, and requires both judgments to be final for a contradiction to arise.
1- يحق لأيٍّ من الخصوم طلب إعادة النظر في الحكم النهائي الصادر بالعقوبة ولو بعد تنفيذه، أو سقـوط العقوبة بالعفو أو الصلح أو وفاة المحكوم عليه. 2 - يُشترط لتحقق
- Article 150
This article of the Regulations requires an order to stay execution of a judgment issued under Article 206 of the Law to be recorded in the case record and notified immediately to the execution authority by official letter.
إذا صدر أمر إيقاف تنفيذ الحكم - وفقا للمادة (السادسة بعد المائتين) من النظام - فيدون في ضبط الدعوى، ويبلغ فوراً إلى جهة التنفيذ بكتاب رسمي.
- Article 151
If part of a criminal judgment becomes final but another part does not, a certified copy is sent to the execution authority to execute only the final part.
إذا صدر الحكم في دعوى اشتملت على حقٍّ عامٍّ وحقٍّ خاصٍّ واكتسب الحكم الصفة القطعية في أحدهما دون الآخر، أو صدر الحكم في دعوى واكتسب صفة القطعية في بعضه دون بعض،
- Article 152
The article requires the court to notify the detention administration in writing of the substance of its judgment in the cases provided for in Article 213 of the Law, so the detained accused is released at once.
تُبلِّغ المحكمةُ كتابةً إدارةَ التوقيف بمضمون الحكم الذي أصدرته في الحالات المنصوص عليها في المادة (الثالثة عشرة بعد المائتين) من النظام للإفراج عن المتهم الموق
- Article 153
The article explains when a new prison sentence starts if the stay of an earlier sentence is cancelled, to whom the cancellation request is made, and that part of a discretionary prison sentence may be stayed.
1- إذا نُص في الحكم على وقف تنفيذ عقوبة السجن التعزيرية في الحق العام، وارتكب المحكوم عليه جريمة خلال المدة المشار إليها في الفقرة (2) من المادة (الرابعة عشرة ب
- Article 155
The administrative governor determines who carries out sentences of death, amputation, stoning, flogging, and retaliation; the executor must be of good character, knowledgeable, not prison staff, and not a relative or enemy.
1- يتولى الحاكم الإداري تحديد من يباشر تنفيذ الأحكام الصادرة بالقتل، أو القطع، أو الرجم، أو الجلد، أو القصاص في النفس أو فيما دونها. 2 - يشترط فيمن يباشر تنفيذ
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.