Article 116 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 116 من نظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الثامن: أمر التوقيف
The article requires everyone who is arrested or detained to be informed immediately of the reasons, and gives him the right to contact whomever he sees fit to inform him, under the supervision of the criminal investigation officer.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يبلغ فورًا كل من يقبض عليه أو يوقف، بأسباب القبض عليه أو توقيفه، ويكون له حق الاتصال بمن يراه لإبلاغه، ويكون ذلك تحت رقابة رجل الضبط الجنائي.
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 116 explained in plain English
This article establishes two basic rights for everyone who is arrested or detained:
1. The right to know the reason: He is informed immediately of the reasons for his arrest or detention. An arrested or detained person may not remain ignorant of the reason his liberty is restricted, and the notice is immediate, not postponed.
2. The right to contact: He has the right to contact whomever he sees fit to inform him. The choice is the arrested person's own, so he may contact a member of his family or anyone else he sees fit to inform.
The restriction on contact: Contact takes place under the supervision of the criminal investigation officer.
The ruling is general and covers "everyone who is arrested or detained," with no exception in the text.
This article is connected to Article 115, which allows a person in pretrial detention to file a grievance against his detention order or extension order, to be decided within five days from the date it is submitted. And to Article 117, which does not allow execution of orders of arrest, bringing-in or detention after six months have passed from the date of their issue unless they are renewed for another period.
Anyone whose relative has been arrested without being informed of the reasons for the arrest would do best to consult a lawyer specialized in criminal cases.
Practical example
Talal was arrested in Medina and was informed immediately of the reason for his arrest, and asked to contact his wife to inform her. Under this article he has the right to contact whomever he sees fit to inform him, and the contact takes place under the supervision of the criminal investigation officer.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
How we write and review contentA question about Article 116 of Criminal Procedure Law?
Describe what happened and specialist lawyers answer. You can write in English.
- Completely free
- Lawyers from the directory answer
- Your name stays hidden
Criminal Law lawyers: ask a specialist about your case
Describe your situation briefly and we'll suggest a lawyer who specialises in this law
Criminal Law lawyers
Lawyers who handle this kind of case
شركة امتداد النظام للمحاماة والاستشارات المهنية
- Labour & Employment Law
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Law
- Commercial & Corporate Law
Frequently asked questions about Article 116 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
Must an arrested person be told the reason for the arrest?
Yes. Everyone who is arrested or detained must be informed immediately of the reasons for his arrest or detention.
Can a detainee contact his family?
He has the right to contact whomever he sees fit to inform him, and this takes place under the supervision of the criminal investigation officer.
Is the detainee's contact monitored?
Yes. The article provides that contact takes place under the supervision of the criminal investigation officer.
More articles on Rights of the Accused
- Article 2
The article bars arresting, searching, detaining or imprisoning any person except in the cases provided by law, and prohibits harming, torturing or degrading an arrested person.
لا يجوز القبض على أي إنسان، أو تفتيشه، أو توقيفه، أو سجنه، إلا في الأحوال المنصوص عليها نظامًا، ولا يكون التوقيف أو السجن إلا في الأماكن المخصصة لكل منهما وللمد
- Article 3
The article bars imposing any criminal penalty on a person except after his conviction is proven for an act prohibited by Sharia or by law, following a trial conducted according to Sharia requirements.
لا يجوز توقيع عقوبة جزائية على أي شخص، إلا بعد ثبوت إدانته بأمر محظور شرعًا أو نظامًا بعد محاكمة تُجْرى وفقًا للمقتضى الشرعي.
- Article 4
The article gives every accused the right to engage an agent or lawyer to defend him in the investigation and trial stages, and refers to the Law's regulations to state the accused's rights he must be informed of.
1 - يحق لكل متهم أن يستعين بوكيل أو محام للدفاع عنه في مرحلتي التحقيق والمحاكمة. 2 - تبين لوائح هذا النظام حقوق المتهم الواجب التعريف بها.
- Article 33
The article allows the judicial police officer, in a flagrant crime, to arrest an accused person who is present where there is sufficient evidence, and bars keeping him detained for more than 24 hours except by written order of the investigator.
لرجل الضبط الجنائي في حال التلبس بالجريمة القبض على المتهم الحاضر الذي توجد دلائل كافية على اتهامه؛ على أن يحرِّر محضرًا بذلك، وأن يبادر بإبلاغ هيئة التحقيق وال
- Article 35
The article provides that, outside flagrant crimes, no one may be arrested or detained except by order of the competent authority.
في غير حالات التلبس بالجريمة، لا يجوز القبض على أي إنسان أو توقيفه إلا بأمر من السلطة المختصة بذلك.
- Article 36
The article guarantees the detainee dignified treatment, no harm, knowledge of the reasons for detention and contact with whom he wishes, and sets rules for detained employees and women.
1 - يجب أن يعامل الموقوف بما يحفظ كرامته ولا يجوز إيذاؤه جسديًا أو معنويًا ويجب إخباره بأسباب توقيفه ويكون له الحق في الاتصال بمن يرى إبلاغه. 2 - يجب إبلاغ مرجع
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.