Article 9 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 9 من نظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الباب الأول: أحكام عامة
The article provides that criminal judgments are open to objection under the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تكون الأحكام الجزائية قابلة للاعتراض عليها وفقًا للأحكام المنصوص عليها في هذا 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 9 explained in plain English
This article lays down a general rule: criminal judgments are open to objection. A judgment issued in a criminal case is not necessarily the end of the road; it can be objected to.
But the article ties this right to an important condition: that the objection be under the provisions of this Law. It does not itself state the methods of objection, their deadlines or the body to which it is submitted, but refers on this to the articles regulating objection in the Criminal Procedure Law. It is therefore not enough to rely on this article alone to know how to object; those articles must be consulted.
This article is connected to Article 8, which regulates how a judgment is issued: secret deliberation among the judges, judgments issued unanimously or by majority, and the minority stating its opinion and its reasons in the case record. It is also connected to Article 10, which provides that judgments issued by the court of appeal or upheld by it for death, stoning, amputation, or retaliation (qisas) in life or less than life are not final until they are upheld by the Supreme Court.
Because objection has procedures and deadlines set by the Law, anyone against whom a criminal judgment has been issued and who wants to object to it would do well to consult a lawyer specialized in criminal cases without delay.
Practical example
A criminal judgment imposing imprisonment on Abdullah was issued in a case in Medina, and he believes the judgment is wrong. Under this article he is entitled to object to the judgment, in accordance with the provisions the Criminal Procedure Law sets out for the methods of objection.
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 9 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
Can a criminal judgment be objected to?
Yes. The article provides that criminal judgments are open to objection under the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law.
Does this article set the period for objecting to a judgment?
No. The article establishes that objection is possible only, and refers for its details to the provisions of the Law.
More articles on Objecting to Criminal Judgments
- Article 10
The article provides that judgments issued by the court of appeal, or upheld by it, for death, stoning, amputation or qisas (retaliation) are not final until upheld by the Supreme Court.
الأحكام الصادرة من محكمة الاستئناف أو المؤيدة منها بالقتل، أو الرجم، أو القطع، أو القصاص في النفس أو فيما دونها، لا تكون نهائية إلا بعد تأييدها من المحكمة العلي
- Article 11
The article provides that if the Supreme Court does not uphold a judgment presented to it under Article 10, it sets it aside and returns the case to the court of first instance to rule on it anew by judges other than those who heard it.
إذا لم تؤيد المحكمة العليا الحكم المعروض عليها ـ تطبيقًا للمادة (العاشرة) من هذا النظام ـ فتنقض الحكم، وتعيد القضية إلى محكمة الدرجة الأولى لتحكم فيها من جديد م
- Article 192
Article 192 gives the convicted person, the public prosecutor and the private right claimant the right to request appeal or review of first-instance rulings, and requires the court to inform them of this right when pronouncing the ruling.
1 - للمحكوم عليه وللمدعي العام وللمدعي بالحق الخاص؛ طلب استئناف أو تدقيق الأحكام الصادرة من محاكم الدرجة الأولى خلال المدة المقررة نظامًا. وعلى المحكمة التي تصد
- Article 193
Article 193 sets an appointment of at most ten days after the ruling is pronounced to receive a copy of the judgment deed, makes depositing it in the file, if the parties do not attend, the start of the objection period, and regulates handing it to a prisoner or detainee.
تحدد المحكمة بعد النطق بالحكم موعدًا أقصاه عشرة أيام لتسلم صورة صك الحكم، مع إثبات ذلك في ضبط القضية وأخذ توقيع الخصوم. فإن لم يحضر أيّ منهم لتسلم صورة صك الحكم
- Article 194
Article 194 sets the objection period for requesting appeal or review at thirty days, after which the right lapses, and requires that rulings of death, stoning, amputation and retaliation be submitted to the court of appeal even if no one requests it.
مدة الاعتراض بطلب الاستئناف أو التدقيق ثلاثون يومًا. فإذا لم يقدم المعترض اعتراضه خلال هذه المدة سقط حقه في طلب الاستئناف أو التدقيق. وإذا كان الحكم صادرًا بالق
- Article 195
Article 195 sets the method of objecting by requesting appeal or review through a memorandum deposited with the administration of the court that issued the ruling, specifies its contents, and requires the administration to record it on the day it is deposited and refer it immediately to the circuit.
1 - يحصل الاعتراض بطلب الاستئناف أو التدقيق، بمذكرة تودع لدى إدارة المحكمة التي أصدرت الحكم، مشتملة على بيان الحكم المعترض عليه، ورقمه، وتاريخه، والأسباب التي ب
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.