Article 7 of the Saudi Juvenile Law

المادة 7 من نظام الأحداث

The article prevents detaining a juvenile for investigation unless the Public Prosecution sees that the interest requires it, in which case he is detained only in the Home and by a reasoned order.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

لا يجوز إيقاف الحدث لغرض التحقيق؛ ما لم ترَ النيابة أن المصلحة تقتضي إيقافه، وفي جميع الأحوال لا يوقف الحدث إلا في الدار، ويكون أمر الإيقاف مسبباً.

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 7 explained in plain English

The rule in this article is that a juvenile may not be detained for the purpose of investigation. A juvenile, who under Article 1 is someone who has completed seven years and has not completed eighteen, is not detained merely because an investigation is under way with him.

An exception is made where the Public Prosecution sees that the interest requires detaining him. Even in this case the article sets two guarantees:

The place of detention: a juvenile is detained only in the Home, which under Article 1 is a body affiliated with the Ministry of Labor and Social Development with separate places of detention for males and others for females. So a juvenile is not detained anywhere else.
Giving reasons: the detention order must be reasoned, that is, it must state the reasons that called for it.

The phrase "in all cases" means that nothing is excepted from the requirement of detention in the Home. If there is no Home in the place where the juvenile resides, Article 8 requires him to be transferred immediately to the nearest Home, and specifies who accompanies him during the transfer. Before that, Article 6 provides that notifying a juvenile is valid only if his guardian or the person acting in his place is notified.

If a juvenile is detained and his family wants to verify the reasons for the detention and its legality, they can consult a lawyer specializing in criminal cases and juvenile cases.

Practical example

A 16-year-old young man in Abha was summoned for investigation in a brawl case. The rule is that he is not detained for the purpose of investigation; if the Public Prosecution sees that the interest requires detaining him, a reasoned order must be issued for this, and his detention must be in the juvenile Home and nowhere else.

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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