A teenager completed his three-month community service sentence on Tuesday given as an alternative to prison for “disobedience” – “uqouq” in legal terminology – to his father. The case was brought to court by the 18-year-old's father and the judge, consulting with a local social services charity, ruled that rather than languish in jail, the teenager should instead be involved in an “educational, social and cultural program” that would “raise his sense of social responsibility and refine his behavior.” The accused son pleaded guilty to the charges presented by his guardian and the judge said he “took into account the social circumstances of the family” before issuing the alternative sentence.
