A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced three young men to 50 lashes and 75 days in jail after they were found guilty of harassing two girls in public.
The case dates back to July when a video clip of a group of youngsters harassing the two young women, walking along the corniche in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, went viral on social media. The harassment video prompted calls of strong action against the anti-social behaviour.
The defendants were among the group who followed the two girls, one of whom had her face veiled, while the other had part of her face showing. The two women pleaded with the teenagers to leave them alone but their pleas were futile.
After the incident, Prince Khalid Al Faisal, Governor of Makkah Province, issued orders to arrest those involved and to increase the security in parks and recreational areas to ensure an incident like this would not recur.
After the incident commentators on blogs and social media called for strict action against the youngsters. One blogger wrote, “This is totally unacceptable, and there should be stringent action,” adding that “They are beasts and they should be severely punished.”
Another blogger wrote, “They are totally ridiculous and they should be taken to a court of law. There is no respect for our traditions and I want to ask if these boys would accept any form of harassment against their sisters or mothers. Unfortunately, many people are no longer concerned with our way of life.”
Media reports indicate that more than 2,700 harassment cases against women are recorded annually in the Kingdom, and about two thirds are committed by Saudis.
The defendants have appealed against the ruling and asked for a lighter penalty however the public prosecutor said he would fight for tougher sentences from a higher court.
