Saudi Arabia implements new personal status regulations
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has officially implemented the Personal Status Regulations following the approval of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
The regulations, consisting of 41 articles, took effect on Friday, marking a significant step in enhancing the legal framework governing family affairs.
The regulations authorize the Minister of Justice to establish the necessary procedures for hearing cases related to marriage contracts conducted without prior approval from the relevant authorities.
This process will be coordinated with the concerned entities, and additional regulations may be introduced as needed based on judicial applications and evolving legal requirements.
The regulations mandate that marriage contracts between non-Muslims be officially documented, whether the couple shares the same nationality or not.
The new framework ensures that a wife's right to request marriage annulment due to a condition in the husband that prevents marital relations is not waived simply because she did not immediately pursue legal action.
Additionally, privacy between spouses is considered compromised if an observer who can distinguish relationships is present.
The law also upholds the mother's right to child custody if the child is under two years old, even if she remarries a man unrelated to the child.
The Saudi Cabinet first approved the Personal Status Law in March 2022, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman emphasizing that the legislation is derived from Islamic principles and aligned with international best practices.
The legislation sets the legal age of marriage at 18, reinforces a woman's right to financial support from her husband, and grants her the ability to request a marriage annulment based on specific circumstances.
The Personal Status Law is part of a broader legal reform initiative announced by the Crown Prince in February 2021. This initiative includes four key legal frameworks: Personal Status Law, Civil Transactions Law, Penal Code for Discretionary Sanctions, and Law of Evidence.
© Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
On Palestine at the UN, it's Netanyahu versus the world
The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is setting the stage for the upcoming UN International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. The three-day session, to be held in New York from June 17-20, will be chaired by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It is believed that at this confab, France and a number of other countries will formally recognise the State of Palestine. In an angry response, Mr Netanyahu announced that should France and others make this announcement, Israel will retaliate with the formal annexation of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In a sense, the threats are meaningless, not because Israel couldn't take measures to sabotage a Palestinian state, but because this is precisely what it has been doing for several decades – and it has accelerated its efforts in the past few years. The daily news from Gaza is numbing. Earlier, in March this year, after 18 months of an immense toll in lives and property, Israel agreed to a ceasefire, only to break it and intensify its plans to wipe out and annex large swathes of this territory. Daily, there are reports of Israeli bombings, shelling, or shootings that kill scores of Palestinians at shelters or food distribution sites. In too many instances, Israeli officials first deny that it happened, then deny that they had anything to do with the killings – 'it might have been Hamas' or, 'if we did, it was because our soldiers were forced to shoot in the air' to control unruly crowds. When all else fails, the government obfuscates by announcing that a military review panel is looking into the matter (coupled with the charge that anyone prejudging the matter before the Israeli military publicly issues its findings – which they never do – must be harbouring an anti-Israel bias). The result is that there is no accountability, and the killings continue. The Netanyahu government's plan for Gaza is taking shape. The logic behind the Israeli-US 'humanitarian mission' in Gaza is now established and that is to facilitate their masterplan for the area to wipe out the population. First, the Israeli government is conducting 'mopping up' operations in the north, evicting as many Palestinians as possible from 80 per cent of Gaza and forcing them to congregate in congested areas along the southern border. Then, after denying Palestinians food aid for three months, they have set up these Israeli-run food distribution sites in the south with the clear message that 'if you're hungry and want food, this is the only place you'll get it.' As throngs of desperate Palestinians amass at the sites, Israeli forces use live ammunition as crowd control, killing dozens at each location. The entire enterprise is inhuman and yet it continues. The situation in the West Bank has gone from bad to worse. After months of raids that have taken the lives of 1,000 Palestinians and destroyed the homes of 40,000, the Israeli government has authorised the establishment of 22 new settlements, the confiscation of more Palestinian lands, and the construction of more Jewish-only roads. All of this will serve to further the cantonisation of the West Bank, isolating Palestinian population centres from one another. The design Israel's government is following was laid out in 1978 by Matityahu Drobles of the World Zionist Organisation. The Drobles Plan envisioned total conquest of the West Bank through the establishment of Israeli settlement blocs connected by highways and secured infrastructure that would divide the area making the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state impossible. This was Drobles' declared intent. Back in the 1970s, Israel's Labour governments rejected this idea, preferring to build settlements along the 1967 lines. When the Likud party came to power, they embraced Drobles in 1979 and began to implement it, but without ever formally acknowledging it. Now they have. Palestinians in East Jerusalem fare no better. They still face threats of confiscation of homes and properties, the weaponisation of archaeology through which the Israeli government has seized sites they believe hold special importance to their history, while ignoring that same site's pre-history or current importance to Palestinian Muslims or Christians. And while Christians and Muslims are violently assaulted or harassed as they seek to pray on their faiths' holy days, Jewish worshippers are protected by the Israeli military as they violate what had been the previously accepted 'status quo' at the Haram Al Sharif. While in the past, these violations were carried out by a handful of Jewish religious extremists, now there are thousands, including officials, who annually invade the Haram. And as if to signal their clear intentions, Israeli officials have changed street signs which once pointed the way to the 'Haram' to now read the 'Temple'. And so, the upcoming UN sessions have the makings of a supreme test of wills. It pits the Israeli government, backed by the US, against the rest of the world. What Israel's government is doing and what it still can do is known. The question is whether other nations will find the resolve to directly confront Israel's plans and take action to isolate and seek accountability from it for its actions. It will require more than recognition of Palestinian rights, verbal protests, or resolutions of disapproval of Israeli policies. Europe can't just protest settlements and genocide in Gaza, while continuing to be the largest buyers of Israeli-made weapons. If they don't apply sanctions (like Spain) or boycott settlement products (like Ireland), nothing will change. In a real sense, at stake during next week's UN sessions is more than just recognition of a Palestinian state, it is the survival of the rule of law and human rights covenants and the integrity of the UN.
Middle East Eye
7 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Iranian press review: Conservative media demand rejection of US proposal
Critics say US proposal not worth answering The new US proposal for a nuclear deal with Iran has drawn sharp criticism from Iranian conservative media, with some urging Iranian diplomats to halt the negotiations. The Jame Jam daily, run by the country's only state broadcaster, last Tuesday dedicated all of its main content to the issue. Its main front-page story addressed Iran's foreign minister directly, with the headline: 'Mr Araghchi! America's new damn nonsense is not worth a response.' It read: 'America's history of making excessive demands and the topics they have raised show that Washington's proposal does not deserve a reply.' The article was in response to recent remarks by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said Iran would soon issue a written response to the US proposal. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Jame Jam also criticised the Massoud Pezeshkian administration's handling of talks with the US. In a column by conservative media analyst Sepehr Khalaji, the daily urged the government to 'learn a lesson' from previous negotiations that had failed to produce results. Another conservative analyst, Morad Anadi, contrasted the international pressure on Iran's nuclear programme with the silence surrounding Israel's. 'In this unfair system, which is called nuclear apartheid, the Zionist regime has more than 200 nuclear warheads, is not a member of the NPT, and has never allowed inspections of its nuclear sites,' he said. Rare unity as politicians slam cleric arrested in Saudi Arabia The arrest of Gholamreza Ghasemian, an extremist Iranian cleric, in Saudi Arabia has sparked rare unity in Iranian domestic politics, with all political factions, including from principlists and reformists, condemning the controversial figure. Ghasemian, who in recent years had gained strong support from conservative and hard-line groups in Iran, criticised Saudi Arabia's rulers in a video he posted online while in the country for the Hajj pilgrimage. What is stopping Israel from bombing Iran's nuclear sites? Read More » Following his arrest and deportation by Saudi authorities, the conservative Iranian daily Quds criticised his remarks, writing: 'An incident like this, at a time when the Iranian diplomatic team is rebuilding regional relations, creates a negative impact. It also sows division in the Islamic world; exactly what the United States and the Zionist regime want.' The reformist newspaper Arman Melli welcomed the principlists' condemnation of Ghasemian, calling it a sign of the government's efforts to avoid extremist policies. Abdolreza Davari, a reformist political activist, wrote in an opinion piece for Arman Melli, titled: 'The political climate in the Islamic Republic is changing." He wrote: 'Radical behaviour and speech no longer have a place at the highest levels of governance. A clear example of this shift is the cold response from both the government and public opinion to Qasemian's recent remarks in Medina.' Jalal Rashidi Kochi, a former member of the Iranian parliament, also posted on X: 'Mr Ghasemian, you are not serving religion or the revolution. You are deliberately causing harm to the country, the people, and the establishment. This action is not courage, and it is not stupidity. It is treason.' IRGC criticised for 'hell' attraction in northern city The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has come under fire for building a 'hell' attraction in the northern city of Fuman, based on Shia Islamic beliefs. After facing backlash, the IRGC announced plans to build a 'paradise' site as well, a move that has only added to the criticism. In a video shared on social media, visitors are shown walking across a metal bridge suspended just above real flames. In the background, actors perform scenes meant to represent torture in hell, including flogging. Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Ali Ayazi, a renowned religious scholar, strongly reacted to the project. 'People are already suffering from economic hardship, poverty, poor management, electricity and gas shortages, water issues, and many other problems,' he said. 'Why would you want to add to their suffering?' Political activist Abdolreza Davari also criticised the project, pointing to the country's winter gas shortages. He estimated the gas consumption of the attraction: 'If the Fuman hell uses 150 burners for four hours a day, and each burner uses 20 cubic metres of gas per hour, then it burns 12,000 cubic meters of gas every day. That is equal to the daily gas use of 480 homes in winter and costs about $2,400 per day.' China planes-for-oil deal sparks outcry The arrival of two used Airbus A330 planes from China to Iran has triggered criticism over the exploitative nature of the economic deals between the two countries. Saudi Arabian and Omani officials propose nuclear facilities for Iran on Gulf island: Report Read More » Local media reported that the planes were sold at nearly four times their actual value, raising concerns about exploitation under international sanctions. The story was first reported by the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), which claimed that "the Chinese sold $30m worth of planes for $116m". According to ILNA, Haokun Energy, a Chinese company, took advantage of Iran's limited access to global oil markets and banking systems, caused by international sanctions. The planes were reportedly delivered in exchange for Iranian oil. This is not the first time Chinese companies have been accused of benefiting from US sanctions against Iran. However, it is one of the highest sums publicly mentioned in this context. ILNA also highlighted other issues related to Haokun Energy, noting that the company still owes substantial amounts of money to Iran. Under the previous government, the Chinese company signed a $2.5bn development project for Imam Khomeini Airport, again in exchange for Iranian oil. Experts at the time said the project's fees were extremely high. * Iranian press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
UAE President, VPs receive Eid Al Adha greetings from leaders of Arab, Islamic states
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan received congratulatory messages on the occasion of Eid Al Adha from Kings, Presidents, and Emirs of Arab and Islamic states. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; and His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, also received similar congratulatory messages on the occasion. UAE President exchanges Eid Al Adha greetings with regional leaders President Sheikh Mohamed also exchanged Eid Al-Adha greetings today in phone calls with Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait; King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain; and King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. During the conversations, the leaders conveyed their best wishes for ongoing health, happiness and prosperity. They prayed that the occasion would bring continued blessings to their peoples, and that their countries would enjoy lasting peace, stability and progress. They also expressed their hopes for stability and prosperity for Muslim nations and the wider international community. WAM
