JEDDAH — The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIP) released two of the seven young men who had been arrested over the July 17 Corniche harassment case after they were found innocent, Al-Watan reported on Wednesday. It said the agency was pressing charges against the other five suspects. A BIP source said the two youths happened to be present at the scene when the incident took place but were not actually participating in the harassment. “One of the released suspects is an Arab resident and the other is a Saudi. The bureau has forwarded the case to Jeddah Criminal Court and is calling for severe penalties against the accused,” said the source. The source said the bureau is accusing the suspects of violating women's privacy, causing public discomfort and disturbing order in a public place. It considered capturing the incident on video and posting it on social media websites a violation of information privacy laws. The video was taken and posted on social media by the young men involved in the case. Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal ordered security authorities to look into the incident on July 17 after the video immediately became viral. Police arrested seven suspects after analyzing the video, said the source. “The Criminal Court has received the case but has decided that it will not hold a hearing without the presence of all parties involved. The court insisted that the victim must attend the trial and give a testimony in court,” said the source. Lawyer Rayan Mufti said the punishment for harassment is left to the judge since there is no clear law on harassment. “In view of the horrendous nature of the crime, I think the harasser may face imprisonment, lashes or both. It all depends on whether the harassers have had a previous criminal record or the incident was their first legal violation,” said Mufti.
