Article 18 of the Saudi Emergency Law
المادة 18 من نظام الطوارئ · الفصل التاسع: واجبات وصلاحيات القائمين على تنفيذ أوامر الطوارئ، وحدود مسؤولياتهم
The article requires emergency orders to specify the public bodies tasked with carrying them out and which of those bodies' personnel have judicial police powers.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تُحدَّد في أوامر الطوارئ الجهات العامة المكلَّفة بتنفيذ تلك الأوامر، ويُحدَّد فيها من لهم صفة الضبط الجنائي من منسوبي تلك الجهات.
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 18 explained in plain English
This article opens Chapter Nine, on the duties, powers and limits of responsibility of those who carry out emergency orders. It requires every emergency order to include two elements:
- The public bodies tasked with carrying it out. The identity of the implementing body is not left to discretion but is stated in the order itself.
- Those who hold judicial police status among the personnel of those bodies.
Judicial police status means the power to carry out enforcement work relating to violations and crimes, such as apprehending violators and drawing up reports. Specifying who holds it in the emergency order matters, because carrying out some exceptional measures may require this power, and it may not be exercised by anyone who has not been granted it.
The practical importance of this article is that an individual dealing with a body that is carrying out an emergency order can learn from the order itself:
- Is this body tasked with carrying it out?
- Does the employee dealing with me hold judicial police status?
Under Article 1, public bodies are ministries, authorities, agencies, public institutions and the like. Note that this specification appears in the emergency order, and some emergency orders may be exempt from publication if they are stated to be confidential under Article 13.
Article 19 follows, requiring those tasked with carrying out emergency orders to ensure the safety and security of individuals and their property and to treat them fairly. Anyone who faces a measure from a body carrying out an emergency order and doubts its authority can consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative cases.
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 18 of the Saudi Emergency Law
Who determines the bodies tasked with carrying out emergency orders?
The emergency orders themselves, since the article requires them to specify the public bodies tasked with carrying them out.
Who has judicial police status during a state of emergency?
Those whom the emergency order specifies from among the personnel of the public bodies tasked with carrying it out.
More articles on Emergency Orders, Publication and Enforcement
- Article 12
This article allows royal orders called “emergency orders” to be issued while a state of emergency is declared, containing necessary temporary measures that have the force of laws, to reduce risks, respond to the emergency event and recover from it.
تصدر - عند الاقتضاء - أوامر ملكية باسم (أوامر طوارئ) أثناء إعلان حالة الطوارئ، تتضمن ما يلزم من تدابير وإجراءات ضرورية مؤقتة لها قوة الأنظمة التي تصدر عن السلطة
- Article 13
This article requires the royal order declaring a state of emergency and emergency orders to be published through official media and the Official Gazette, allows publication by any means, and exempts orders stated to be classified.
1- يُنشر الأمر الملكي الصادر بإعلان حالة الطوارئ وأوامر الطوارئ من خلال أي من وسائل الإعلام الرسمية، بالإضافة إلى نشره في الجريدة الرسمية. ويجوز وفقًا لمقتضيات
- Article 14
This article makes emergency orders effective from their date of issue unless they set another date, and they end on their stated dates or when the state of emergency ends or is terminated, whichever is earlier.
تكون أوامر الطوارئ نافذة من تاريخ صدورها؛ ما لم يُنص فيها على تاريخ آخر، وينتهي العمل بها في التواريخ المحددة فيها، أو بانتهاء أو إنهاء حالة الطوارئ وفقًا لأحكا
- Article 19
The article requires those tasked with carrying out emergency orders to take the necessary steps for the safety, security and property of individuals, to reduce the negative impact of measures, and to treat individuals fairly.
على المكلّفين بتنفيذ أوامر الطوارئ اتخاذ كافة الإجراءات اللازمة للتأكد من سلامة الأفراد وأمنهم وسلامة ممتلكاتهم والتخفيف من الأثر السلبي الناشئ عن أي إجراءٍ يُت
- Article 31
The article makes powers conferred or delegated under the Law or emergency orders additional to any other powers conferred by any other law or regulation in force, unless the emergency order provides otherwise.
تُعد الصلاحيات المخولة أو المفوضة لأي شخص بموجب النظام أو أوامر الطوارئ مضافة لأي صلاحية أخرى مخولة إليه بموجب أي نظام أو لائحة أخرى معمول بها، ما لم يُنص على غ
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.