Article 27 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 27 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الثاني: القبض على المتهم
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 لم يكن للمبلغ مصلحة فيه، ويُعدُّ محضر بذلك يشتمل على البيانات الشخصية للمبلِّغ، ومضمون البلاغ.
2 - يكون إبلاغ الهيئة بوجود مسجون أو موقوف بصفة غير مشروعة أو في مكان غير مخصص للسجن أو التوقيف بإبلاغ رئيس الفرع أو رئيس الدائرة المعني. وعلى المبلَّغ أن يكلف - فوراً - أحد أعضاء الهيئة بالانتقال إلى المكان الذي فيه المسجون أو الموقوف لاتخاذ اللازم وفقاً لما نصت عليه المادة (الأربعون) من النظام.
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 27 explained in plain English
This article of the Regulations opens to anyone the door of reporting unlawful imprisonment or detention, and regulates what the Authority must do:
- Accepting the report: a report is accepted of the presence of a prisoner or detainee held unlawfully, or in a place not designated for imprisonment or detention, under Article 40 of the Law:
- Orally or in writing.
- Even if the reporter has no interest in it, so he need not be a relative or a person concerned.
- A record of the report is drawn up containing the reporter's personal data and the substance of the report.
- The body reported to and its duty: the report to the Authority is made to the head of the branch or the head of the circuit concerned. The person reported to must immediately assign one of the Authority's members to go to the place where the prisoner or detainee is, to take what is necessary under Article 40 of the Law.
The practical meaning is that anyone who learns that a person is held without a basis, or in a place that is not a prison or detention house, can report it himself even if he has no connection with the person held, and that the Authority does not merely register the report but must send a member at once. Note that the record includes the reporter's personal data.
This article does not state what the member does after going there, which is for Article 40 of the Law. It is connected with Articles 25 and 26 on the Authority's oversight of prisons and complaints. Anyone who wants to report such a case may consult a lawyer specializing in criminal cases.
Practical example
A resident of a Riyadh district learned that a person was being held in a private warehouse unrelated to prisons. He reported orally to the head of the Authority's branch, a record was drawn up with his data and the substance of his report, and the head of the branch immediately assigned a member to go to the warehouse to take what is necessary.
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 27 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
May I report an unlawful detention if I am not a relative of the person held?
Yes. A report is accepted even if the reporter has no interest in it.
To whom do I submit a report of unlawful detention?
To the head of the Authority's branch or the head of the circuit concerned.
What does the Authority do after the report?
The person reported to must immediately assign one of the Authority's members to go to the place of the prisoner or detainee to take what is necessary under Article 40 of the Law.
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 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 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.