Article 22 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 22 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الثاني: القبض على المتهم
The article requires informing the accused on arrest or detention of its reasons, his right to a representative or lawyer, and his right to contact whomever he wishes to notify, and obtaining his signature.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجب أن يعرّف المتهم عند القبض عليه أو توقيفه بما يأتي:
أ) أسباب القبض عليه أو توقيفه.
ب) حقه في الاستعانة بوكيل أو محام في مرحلتي التحقيق والمحاكمة.
ج) حقه في الاتصال بمن يرى إبلاغه بالقبض عليه أو توقيفه.
ويؤخذ توقيع المتهم بما يفيد علمه بحقوقه المذكورة أعلاه، فإن رفض التوقيع فيحرر محضر بذلك.
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 22 explained in plain English
This article of the Regulations is one of the most important safeguards for an arrested or detained person, as it requires that the accused be informed on his arrest or detention of three matters:
- The reasons for his arrest or detention.
- His right to seek the assistance of a representative or lawyer at the investigation and trial stages.
- His right to contact whomever he sees fit to notify of his arrest or detention.
To ensure that this informing actually took place, the accused's signature is taken as evidence that he knows these rights. If he refuses to sign, a record is drawn up of that.
The practical meaning is that a person arrested or detained is entitled to know why he was arrested, to seek the assistance of a lawyer or representative from the investigation stage, and to contact whomever he wants to notify. His refusal to sign does not cancel these rights; it is merely documented in a record.
It is followed by Article 23, which explains that enabling the detainee to contact whomever he wishes to notify is by the method that the criminal investigation officer or the investigator assesses according to the circumstances of each case. It is preceded by Article 21 on the arrest order and its execution.
Anyone who is arrested, or whose relative is, is advised to appoint as soon as possible a lawyer specializing in criminal cases, since seeking a lawyer's assistance is a right provided for in the article.
Practical example
Abdullah was arrested in Jeddah on suspicion in a case. On arrest he was told the reason for the arrest, his right to seek a lawyer at the investigation and trial, and his right to contact whomever he wanted, so he chose to contact his brother, and he signed to show he knew these rights.
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 22 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
What are the rights of an accused when arrested in Saudi Arabia?
To be informed of the reasons for the arrest or detention, of his right to seek a representative or lawyer at the investigation and trial, and of his right to contact whomever he wishes to notify.
Does the accused have the right to appoint a lawyer at the investigation stage?
Yes. The article provides for his right to seek the assistance of a representative or lawyer at the investigation and trial stages.
What happens if the accused refuses to sign that he knows his rights?
A record is drawn up of that.
More articles on Rights of the Accused and Detainee
- Article 20
The article fixes the start of the twenty-four-hour period in Article 34 of the Law: from the time of arrest for the criminal investigation officer, and from the time the accused reaches him for the investigator.
تبدأ مهلة الأربع والعشرين ساعة المشار إليها في المادة (الرابعة والثلاثين) من النظام بالنسبة لرجل الضبط الجنائي من وقت القبض على المتهم، وتبدأ المهلة بالنسبة للم
- Article 23
The article explains that enabling a detainee to contact whomever he wishes to notify is by the method the officer or investigator assesses, and that notifying the detained employee's superior is done by whoever ordered his continued detention.
1- يُمكّن الموقوف من الاتصال بمن يرى إبلاغه بالطريقة التي يقدرها رجل الضبط الجنائي أو المحقق بحسب حالة كل قضية وملابساتها. 2 - يكون إبلاغ مرجع الموظف الموقوف -
- Article 25
The article regulates the Authority's oversight of prisons and detention places, what to do on finding someone held unlawfully, receipt of complaints, the daily report, and the contents of the registers.
1 - إذا تبين لعضو الهيئة المختص بزيارة السجون وأماكن التوقيف وجود مسجون أو موقوف بصفة غير مشروعة، فعليه الرفع عن ذلك لرئيس دائرة التحقيق التي يتبعها لاتخاذ اللا
- Article 26
The article requires the prison or detention director to draw up a record of an oral complaint and report it to the Authority's member, and requires visiting members to check the complaints register and sign it.
1- إذا قدم المسجون أو الموقوف شكوى شفهية إلى مدير السجن أو التوقيف؛ فيعد المدير محضراً بذلك موقعاً من المشتكي يتضمن ما ذكره من تظلم وأسبابه، ويلحق بالشكوى ملخص
- Article 27
The article allows reporting orally or in writing a person held unlawfully or in an undesignated place even if the reporter has no interest, and requires the Authority to send a member at once.
1- يُقبل الإبلاغ عن وجود مسجون أو موقوف بصفة غير مشروعة أو في مكان غير مخصص للسجن أو التوقيف بحسب ما نصت عليه المادة (الأربعون) من النظام؛ مشافهةً أو كتابة، ولو
- Article 40
The article makes notifying the accused of the contents of letters, postal and telegraph messages under Article 59 of the Law the task of the investigator or whoever he delegates.
يكون تبليغ المتهم بمضمون الخطابات والرسائل البريدية والبرقية - وفقاً للمادة (التاسعة والخمسين) من النظام - عن طريق المحقق أو من يندبه.
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.