RIYADH — Some 19 government agencies have made all preparations to start the "Nation Free of Violators" campaign from Wednesday. The campaign which was inaugurated on Sunday by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, is a 90-day amnesty drive to settle the status of violators of the residency (iqama), labor and border security regulations. Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, security spokesman of the Ministry of Interior (MOI), held a press conference on Sunday and urged violators of the residency, labor and border security regulations to benefit from the 90-day amnesty period by rectifying their status and getting exempted from fines and penalties. He said if the violator of the iqama (residency) and labor regulations takes the initiative to voluntarily depart from the Kingdom, he will be exempt from fines and penalties. He will also have the right to return to work legally in the Kingdom. About 98 detention homes have been established to accommodate violators prior to their deportation. There are 13 detention centers in Riyadh, six in the Eastern Province, four in Makkah, three each in Qasim, Madinah, Tabuk and Asir, two each in Baha, Jouf and the Northern Borders and one each in Jazan, Najran and Hail in addition to other facilities in various regions. The Passport Department (Jawazat) will deploy a large number of police officers and privates who will comb all the areas searching for violators. It will receive violators turning themselves in voluntarily to benefit from the amnesty. The Border Guard will comb the borders areas in the south to apprehend infiltrators and illegal overstayers. Lawyer Hadi Al-Yami, chairman of the Arab League Human Rights Commission, hoped that violators would avail themselves of the amnesty to avoid legal action. "The campaign, which was approved by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, was part of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and a security measure," he told Al-Yaum newspaper. Youssef Al-Jubair, chairman of the committee of lawyers at the Al-Ahsa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the campaign will focus on the humanitarian aspect as it will respect the human rights of violators. During a similar campaign about three years ago, as many as 2.5 million violators were apprehended and deported to their respective homes through 28 air, sea and land outlets.
