Article 20 of the Saudi Emergency Law

This article protects those who carry out exceptional measures, so that they can perform their duties without fear of liability for lawful actions.

Who is covered by the exemption?

• Personnel of the public bodies tasked with carrying out emergency orders.
• Those whom they enlist to assist them.

Scope of the exemption: from civil liability (such as a personal claim for compensation) and criminal liability (such as criminal prosecution), for the measures they take while performing their duties under the emergency orders.

The condition: that they comply with the following:

• The provisions of the Law.
• The emergency orders.
• The provisions and procedures in the regulations and rules in force during the state of emergency.

The exemption is therefore conditional, and anyone who goes beyond these limits does not meet the condition for exemption. Among the provisions of the Law that must be complied with is what Article 19 provides: ensuring the safety, security and property of individuals and treating them fairly.

Preserving the right to compensation: the article states that the exemption does not prejudice the compensation provisions set out in the Law. Exempting the person carrying out the measure personally does not mean depriving the injured person, since Article 22 establishes the right to fair compensation for anyone who was assigned a task or required to provide money, whose property was taken into possession, expropriated or destroyed under the emergency orders, and for anyone harmed by an unlawful measure taken on the pretext of applying them.

Anyone harmed by a measure taken during a state of emergency who wants to know how to bring a claim can consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative cases or in civil cases and compensation.