Article 26 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 26 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الثاني: القبض على المتهم
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 من ملف السجين أو الموقوف ويبلغ إلى عضو الهيئة المختص بذلك.
2 - على أعضاء الهيئة المختصين عند زيارة السجون وأماكن التوقيف التحقق من وجود سجل قيد شكاوى المسجونين أو الموقوفين، والاطلاع عليه، والتوقيع في آخر صفحة بما يفيد ذلك.
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 of the Regulations protects the right of a prisoner or detainee to complain even if he does not write it, and ensures it reaches the Authority:
- Oral complaint: if a prisoner or detainee makes an oral complaint to the director of the prison or detention place, the director must:
- Prepare a record of it signed by the complainant, containing the grievance he stated and its reasons.
- Attach to the complaint a summary from the file of the prisoner or detainee.
- Report it to the responsible member of the Authority.
- Complaints register: the responsible members of the Authority, when visiting prisons and places of detention, must verify that a register recording the complaints of prisoners or detainees exists, review it, and sign on its last page to confirm that.
The practical meaning is that a prisoner does not need to write his complaint; it is enough to report it orally to the director, and the director is obliged to document it and convey it, not keep it with him. The Authority member's signature in the register shows that the register was reviewed at each visit.
This article complements Article 25, which regulates the Authority's oversight of prisons and giving the detainee what proves receipt of his complaint, and is followed by Article 27 on reporting unlawful detention. The article sets no period for reporting the complaint. Anyone whose relative is imprisoned and who has difficulty getting his complaint through may consult a lawyer specializing in criminal cases.
Practical example
A detainee in a detention house in Jeddah complained orally to the director of the house about the delay in presenting him to the investigator. The director prepared a record signed by the detainee stating his grievance and its reasons, attached to it a summary of his file, and reported it to the responsible member of the Authority.
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 Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
Can a prisoner make an oral complaint?
Yes, and the director of the prison or detention place must prepare a record of it signed by the complainant and report it to the responsible member of the Authority.
What is attached to a detainee's complaint?
A summary from the file of the prisoner or detainee.
What is the Authority member's role regarding the complaints register?
He verifies that it exists, reviews it, and signs on its last page to confirm that when visiting.
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 22
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.
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 ا
- 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 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.