From CDHR
January 31, 2008
Arbitrary Judicial System
By Ali Alyami
The saga of Fatima and her husband Mansour started approximately two years ago. The couple was married legally and with the consent of Fatima’s father, who died at a later stage. Some relatives, including a half brother, protested against the marriage because they claimed Mansour was not good enough for Fatima because he was not pure blood Arabian. Fatima’s relatives went to one of the Saudi anti-women religious courts and obtained an annulment order to dissolve the marriage. This is where the wrenching story of Fatima, Mansour, and their two young children began. The state police came to the family sanctuary to serve them a court order, which subsequently fragmented the happy family. The state and its arbitrary judicial system turned a cheerful married couple and their young children’s peaceful lives into a living nightmare. The lives of this innocent family were shattered by the very same system that is supposed to protect from harm. Instead of mediating disputes and solvi ng problems, the Saudi judicial system creates and prolongs painful situations, as in the case of this innocent and law-abiding family.