RIYADH (AFP) – A Saudi has been named in a newspaper after his conviction for sexual harassment, in an apparent first under new laws tackling a subject that is often seen as taboo.
A court in the holy city of Medina ordered the public identification of Yasser Muslim Al-Arawi, who was named in the privately owned Okaz newspaper after he was sentenced to eight months in prison and fined SAR5,000 (BND1,300).
Saudi Arabia only started penalising sexual harassment in 2018, as the conservative kingdom embarked on wide-ranging social reforms including allowing women to drive.
Okaz and state-owned Al-Ekhbariya TV said it was the first application of an amendment that allows courts to order a judgement to be published in local press.
Al-Arawi was found guilty of “touching from behind, verbally assaulting and harassing” the victim, the Okaz report said.
