Article 39 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 39 من نظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الثالث: القبض على المتهم
The article gives every prisoner or detainee the right to submit a written or oral complaint at any time to the prison director, who must record it and immediately pass it on to a member of the Investigation and Public Prosecution.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لكل مسجون أو موقوف الحق في أن يقدم - في أي وقت - إلى مدير السجن أو التوقيف شكوى كتابية أو شفهية، ويطلب منه إبلاغها إلى عضو هيئة التحقيق والادعاء العام، وعلى المدير قبولها وإبلاغها في الحال بعد إثباتها في سجل يعد لذلك، وتزويد مقدمها بما يثبت تسلمها. وعلى إدارة السجن أو التوقيف تخصيص مكتب مستقل لعضو الهيئة المختص لمتابعة أحوال المسجونين أو الموقوفين.
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 39 explained in plain English
This article guarantees the right to complain for every prisoner or detainee, and places specific obligations on the prison or detention administration to ensure that the complaint is delivered.
The right of the prisoner or detainee:
- To submit his complaint at any time.
- The complaint may be written or oral.
- To submit it to the director of the prison or place of detention and ask him to pass it on to a member of the Investigation and Public Prosecution.
The director's duties:
- Accepting the complaint; he may not refuse it.
- Recording it in a register prepared for that purpose.
- Passing it on immediately to a member of the Authority.
- Giving the person who submitted it proof that it was received.
The article also requires the prison or detention administration to set aside an independent office for the competent member of the Authority to follow up on the conditions of prisoners or detainees.
This article complements what Article 38 provides about members of the Authority visiting prisons and hearing prisoners' complaints, so the prisoner has two routes: to present his complaint directly during a visit, or to submit it at any time through the prison director. If the complaint concerns unlawful imprisonment or detention, Article 40 requires the member of the Authority to go, investigate and order release if this is established.
To learn how to draft a complaint in a particular situation, you may consult a lawyer specialized in criminal cases.
Practical example
A detainee in a place of detention in Qassim believes his period of detention has ended and he has not been released, so he asked the director orally to pass his complaint on to a member of the Investigation and Public Prosecution. The director must accept the complaint, record it in the register, pass it on immediately, and give him proof that it was received.
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 39 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
Does a prisoner have the right to file a complaint?
Yes. Every prisoner or detainee has the right to submit a written or oral complaint at any time to the director of the prison or place of detention, and to ask him to pass it on to a member of the Investigation and Public Prosecution.
Can the prison director refuse a detainee's complaint?
No. The director must accept it, record it in a register prepared for that purpose and pass it on immediately.
How does a prisoner prove that he submitted the complaint?
The director is required to give the person who submitted the complaint proof that it was received.
More articles on Arrest and Flagrant Offenses
- 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 14
The article requires all officers of public authority to carry out the orders of judicial bodies issued under the Law, and allows them to use the appropriate means to carry them out.
على جميع رجال السلطة العامة أن ينفذوا أوامر الجهات القضائية الصادرة طبقًا لهذا النظام، ولهم أن يستعملوا الوسيلة المناسبة لتنفيذها.
- Article 24
The article defines judicial police officers as the persons who search for the perpetrators of crimes and gather the information and evidence needed for investigation and bringing charges.
رجال الضبط الجنائي هم الأشخاص الذين يقومون بالبحث عن مرتكبي الجرائم وجمع المعلومات والأدلة اللازمة للتحقيق وتوجيه الاتهام.
- Article 25Amended (1443 AH)
The article places judicial police officers, in their judicial police functions, under the supervision of the Public Prosecution, and allows it to request disciplinary accountability for violators or negligent officers, without prejudice to the right to bring a criminal action.
يخضع رجال الضبط الجنائي - فيما يتعلق بوظائفهم في الضبط الجنائي المقررة في هذا النظام - لإشراف النيابة العامة. وللنيابة العامة أن تطلب من الجهة المختصة النظر في
- Article 26
The article lists the categories that carry out judicial police work, each according to its assigned tasks, from members of the Investigation and Public Prosecution and police directors to those authorized by special laws.
يقوم بأعمال الضبط الجنائي - بحسب المهمات الموكولة إليه - كل من: 1 - أعضاء هيئة التحقيق والادعاء العام، في مجال اختصاصهم. 2 - مديري الشرط ومعاونيهم في المدن والم
- Article 27
The article requires judicial police officers to accept reports and complaints in all crimes, examine and document them and notify the Authority immediately, and to go to the scene to preserve it and seize the evidence.
على رجال الضبط الجنائي كل بحسب اختصاصه أن يقبلوا البلاغات والشكاوى التي ترد إليهم في جميع الجرائم، وعليهم وعلى مرءوسيهم تحت إشرافهم أن يقوموا بفحصها وجمع المعلو
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.