Man in jail 15 years awaiting father’s pardon

A SAUDI Arabian man who was jailed for three years in 1997 has spent a further 12 years behind bars waiting for his father to pardon him.

Eid al-Sinani, 43, was originally sentenced to three years in prison and 200 lashes for beating his stepmother, said Musab al-Zahrani, a researcher at the National Society for Human Rights.

However, when the sentence had been served the father asked a judge to keep his son in prison “until he is proven to be righteous by his father”. The judge agreed and 12 years later Sinani is still in jail, Mr Zahrani said.

Under the kingdom’s Islamic legal system, judicial rulings are subject to individual judges’ interpretation. Some judges view “disobedience” towards a parent as an offence worthy of lashing and even prison.

“We are optimistic that he will be released. This is legally problematic because they gave absolute power to the father and the son is left under his mercy,” Mr Zahrani said yesterday.