On Sunday, Saudi Arabia implemented its first defamation ruling against a citizen who harassed a woman in Medina, following the confirmation of his conviction and the finalization of the ruling. This came after a year of the country enacting a new amendment to the Anti-Harassment Law, which allowed judges to publicly identify those convicted of harassment crimes. On January 12, 2021, the Saudi Cabinet added a new clause to Article 6 of the law, which initially imposed a prison sentence of no more than two years and a fine not exceeding 100,000 riyals or one of these penalties. The new clause stated that "the ruling may include a provision to publish a summary of the sentence at the expense of the convicted individual in one or more local newspapers or any other appropriate medium, depending on the severity of the crime and its impact on society, with publication after the ruling becomes final."
According to a ruling published by a local newspaper, the Criminal Court in Medina convicted a citizen "of the charges against him of harassing a woman by touching her from behind, verbally assaulting her, and harassing her," sentencing him to 8 months in prison, a fine of 5,000 riyals, and publication of the punishment in the same newspaper. Saudi Arabia began implementing the Anti-Harassment Law in June 2018, prior to the decision to allow women to drive, which was aimed at ensuring a safe environment for women and safeguarding the privacy of individuals, both male and female.
