Harassers flogged at Saudi shopping mall

Six Saudis were whipped at the shopping mall where they were filmed harassing women on Sunday.

The men were sentenced to imprisonment and lashes after they were convicted of harassment.

The lashes part of the sentence called for them to be whipped at the shopping mall where the harassment occurred, but very few shoppers witnessed the lashing.

Eastern Province Police spokesman, Capt. Abdulaziz Al-Harbi, said in a statement that this sentence followed a high-profile harassment incident that occurred in a Dhahran shopping mall a few months ago.

He added such behavior was not tolerated and asked young people to abide by the norms and values of Islam. The committee for pardoning prisoners had considered canceling the lashes part of the sentence because the victims had not filed a complaint about the incident.

The main harasser was sentenced to five months in prison, while the others were sentenced to one to three months in prison.

Some of the harassers were under 18 and they were referred to the social observation home in Dammam.

This article was first published in Saudi Gazette on Wednesday, Sep. 03, 2014.