Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — A lawyer and judicial consultant called for a review of the heavy sentence levied against the four young men for flashing. They were sentenced to a total of 23 years and 4,200 lashes for committing a series of obscene acts six months ago. Commenting on the harsh punishment, Bandar Al-Mehrej, who did not come out in defense of the four youths acts, did, however, comment on the inordinately long sentence they received. He said: “There must be other reasons why the men were given such lengthy punishments but I have to admit that the sentences could mean an end to their future.” The four young men were dancing on top of their cars and one of them flashed his buttocks while the others videotaped him before uploading the video to social media websites. The video went viral, causing a public outcry and police in Buraidah arrested them later. The flasher was sentenced to 10 years and 2,000 lashes, while another offender was sentenced to 7 years, in addition to thousands of riyals in fines. Judges and lawyers refrained from commenting on the sentencing of the four men for indecent exposure, Al-Hayat newspaper reported. Judges refrained from commenting due to regulations that prevents them from doing so. In addition, there may be other circumstances relevant to the case that could prevent them from commenting. Some would like to reserve their comments till the full text of the sentence is published. Al-Mehrej said: “The number of years and lashes may have been exaggerated in comparison to other cases. “Calls to rationalize judicial sentences have become a necessity now. Some may say that indecent exposure is a crime that is new to society and has shocked many, and as such, it deserves a severe punishment.” “Instead of jail, they should have been forced to do community service, something from which society would have benefitted and they too could have learned a lesson from,” he added.
