JEDDAH — A source at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) confirmed that the society received complaints from citizens against judges for ill-treatment of people, the issuing of unsatisfactory verdicts, the lengthy legal process in general and criminal courts. The source said the NSHR received a total of 44 complaints came through its branches in seven regions, in addition to the headquarters in Jeddah. The highest percentage of the complaints came from citizens in Riyadh with 15 complaints, followed by Makkah with 10 complaints. People of Jazan filed eight complaints, Madinah four complaints, Dammam three, Abha two, and Jeddah and Al-Jouf one each. Foreigners residing in the country registered complaints criticizing some judicial decisions. The NSHR received a complaint from a Yemeni resident and another from an Egyptian. The Makkah branch received of a complaint from an Egyptian resident and the Madinah branch received one complaint from an expatriate whose identity was not revealed while three Syrians filed complaints with the NSHR in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Legal consultant and lawyer Khalid Al-Shahrani stressed that the Saudi justice system represented by the Ministry of Justice announced a new mechanism in all media outlets. The judicial inspection is divided into two parts: first the so-called administrative judicial inspection that follows the Supreme Council for Administrative Affairs and is concerned with administrative courts or grievances court. The second is the General Judicial Inspection, which focuses on monitoring the performance of judges and receiving complaints from citizens and residents about observations in the general, criminal or personal status courts. Al-Shahrani said the new bylaws also included the process to deal with complaints that reach the council against judges. Complaints and violations will be examined with a decision from the president and if the complaint did not include the person's name and address no action will be taken. "The person in charge of examining the complaint must inform the judge on the complaint and its content and ask him to respond in writing," said Al-Shahrani. He said the bylaws of judicial inspection contain several articles that explain the mechanism for monitoring judges and ensuring the completion of all matters related to each case. He pointed out that Article 8 in the bylaws states that the judicial Inspection oversees the Supreme Council, inspects the work of courts and judges.
