SR500,000 fine, one-year jail for defamation on social media

Victims of defamation through social network media, including video clips, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram can file a complaint with the police station located within the jurisdiction of the victim’s place of residence, according to a local attorney.
According to him, the penalty was codified within the provisions of Article III, paragraph 5 of the new law with imprisonment not exceeding one year or a fine not exceeding SR500,000 or both.

Speaking to a local daily here, Saeed Al-Omari said that from there the case will be forwarded to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution for investigation.
“Article (IX) paragraph 4 of the Press and Publication Law has banned abusing the dignity of people and their freedoms, blackmail or damage to their reputation or brand names,” he said,

He continued: “The issue can be addressed through the primary committees and committees of appeal, based on the rules of the relevant committees to consider the violations of the provisions of Press and Publication.”
Meanwhile, the libel court in the Kingdom has disclosed a fall in the number of defamation cases last year from 376 to 317 while the capital remained at the top of the cities for the second year in a row, according to the report.

Riyadh courts recorded 151 defamation case over the past year, with 47 percent of the total cases compared to136 defamation cases last year. Tabuk took the second place in terms of the number of defamation cases with 32 cases (9.5 percent) of the total cases.
The legal expert said that the first type of violation concerns those defamatory clips which were posted on social media like Twitter and Facebook. Defamation offense has become an alarming phenomenon in society.
Al-Omari believes that the penalty provided for in Article III is a deterrent. However, there is a need to add more severe punishment to achieve the desired result.