Article 27 of the Saudi Emergency Law

This article sets the penalties and distinguishes between two kinds of violation:

Paragraph (1): violating the provisions of the Law

• Anyone who violates any provision of the Emergency Law is punished by imprisonment for up to one year, or a fine of up to SAR 100,000, or both.
• Among the provisions of the Law whose violation may attract this penalty are the duty under Article 15 to provide the National Emergency Management Authority with information, and the duty of confidentiality under Article 17.

Paragraph (2): violating emergency orders

• As a rule, the violator is punished by the penalties stated in the emergency order itself.
• If the emergency order states no penalty, the penalty is imprisonment for up to 6 months, or a fine of up to SAR 50,000, or both.

The practical difference is that anyone who violates a measure in an emergency order must first look to the order itself to learn the penalty, and the default limit applies only if the order is silent. Under Article 12, emergency orders contain necessary temporary measures that have the force of law, and under Article 13 they are published in the official media and the Official Gazette.

Article 28 follows, providing that these penalties do not prejudice the hadd penalties prescribed by Sharia or the more severe penalties in any other law, and Article 29, which makes the Public Prosecution responsible for investigating these crimes. Anyone accused of violating an emergency order can consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.