Judicial System

Judicial System in Saudi Arabia
of either of the parties to a dispute in maintaining public
order. However, in all cases rulings shall be announced in
a public hearing. In addition, the Regulations of Procedure
before Sharia Courts provide that all judges participating
in deliberation and decision making shall be present on
announcing the ruling.
The Criminal Procedural Regulations provide for the
publicity of courts’ hearings save for certain cases where the
court may hear the entire case or part of it in private (nonpublic)
sessions because of security considerations or for
respect of public moral. Publicity is the norm unless secrecy/
confidentiality is justified.
The provisions cited above provide that a court must
declare publicity of trial and open the court’s room for the
public and the media, and no one is to be prohibited from
attending a court’s session as long as that such person
is complying with the court’s order and discipline. The
discretion as to weighing whether publicity or secrecy/
confidentiality is better serving the interests of justice and
the interests of the parties is a matter to be decided by the
judge.
It is a practice in Saudi Arabia that courts’ sessions
are held at open judges’ offices. The Minister of Justice
confirmed on April 27, 2012 that Saudi courts are committed
to publicity of hearings and transparency of pleading so
all means of media, domestic and foreign, may attend any
sessions save for certain cases where confidentiality is
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