ABU DHABI // Saudi Arabia's cabinet has approved a law that for the first time criminalises abuse in the home and workplace and authorises law enforcement agencies to investigate alleged instances of mistreatment.
Those convicted of abuse could face up to a year in jail and between 5,000 and 50,000 Saudi Riyals (Dh4,900 to Dh49,000) in fines, local daily the Saudi Gazette reported.
The law, approved during a cabinet session chaired by deputy prime minister Prince Muqrin on August 26, calls for victims to receive "psychological, social and health shelter and care", state media reported.
The new cabinet order also mandates employers to report any allegations of abuse to the ministry of social affairs and protects the identity of those providing such information.
"It is not permissible to disclose the identity of the informer of a case of abuse without his consent," state media said.
The Saudi National Society for Human Rights, a government authorised watchdog, lauded the bill as an "important step" toward ending "the infringement and violation of rights to a broad category of society", according to a statement on Wednesday.
While applauding the new rules, rights groups warned that implementation will still be a challenge.
The new rules could be a watershed for cases of domestic abuse in the Kingdom.
Such ill-treatment has previously been considered a private affair, confined the home and to families and outside the purview of the courts. Court cases alleged domestic abuse are rarely brought.
Complicating such prosecutions, Saudi Arabia's guardianship system places children and women - who are often most vulnerable to abuse - legally under the protection of male family members. It can be socially difficult and even dangerous for victims to come forward about abuse by their guardians or family members.
The exact details of the new law have not been disclosed. The society urged authorities to spell them out as soon as possible.
edickinson@thenational.ae
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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