RIYADH — The Human Rights Commission has received a total of 4,211 complaints during the last fiscal year (1440-1441 AH), of which more complaints related to criminal justice and protection from abuse. The commission, said that criminal justice cases topped the list of complaints with 844 in number, representing 20.04 percent of the total cases, followed by protection from abuse with 627 complaints (14.89 percent), and then identity and nationality cases with 566 complaints, representing 13.44 percent. The commission received 2,430 complaints filed by Saudis, representing 57.71percent of the total 4,211 complaints, while the remaining 1,781 complaints were lodged by non-Saudis (42.29 percent). A total of 2,448 (58.13 percent) complaints were from men while women filed 1,763 complaints, representing 41.87 percent of the total complaints. The commission said that Jazan region branch ranks first in the number of complaints received with 1,114 complaints, representing 26.45 percent, and it was followed by the General Directorate of Complaints at the main headquarters of HRC in Riyadh with 1,090 complaints (25.88 percent), and then the branch of Makkah region, with 978 complaints (23.22 percent). The number of complaints which were addressed by HRC during the year accounted for 2,881, representing 68.42 percent, while the complaints that the commission is still communicating with the relevant government agencies for settlement reached 1,103 complaints, (26.19 percent). Also there are still 227 complaints under study, representing 5.39 percent of the total complaints received. The commission confirmed that the commission receives complaints and reports in various areas of human rights, in accordance with the provision containing "Paragraph 7 of Article 5 of its regulations, which stipulates to receive complaints related to human rights, verify their validity, and take legal action. HRC has made available many electronic services and channels to receive complaints, which include the website, e-mail, phone, fax, and postal mail, in addition to personally approaching the authority's headquarters or any of its branches. The commission noted that the commission is looking forward to more cooperation with government agencies by responding to its inquiries and requests for information, in order to accelerate the pace of resolving complaints and disposing them within a short span of time.
