Saudi appoints 156 male, female investigators to the Public Prosecution

Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz issued a royal decree appointing 156 men and women to the Public Prosecution as investigators.

The Saudi Public Prosecutor, Saud Bin Abdullah Al-Muajib, said the decree comes within the framework of the continuous support from the king in an effort to achieve greater stability and prosperity. He praised providing women with the opportunity to work in the judicial field in the Public Prosecution, line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

Saudi Arabia appointed the first female investigators in the Public Prosecution in last year, under a government initiative to enable women to work in a number of sectors which were previously inaccessible to them.

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Investigators at the Public Prosecutor’s Office deal with crimes such as murder, kidnapping, rape, extortion, robbery, armed robbery, self-assault, money, honour, drug, alcohol, smuggling among others.

Saudi Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman is trying to promote reforms in the kingdom in an effort to reduce its dependence on petrodollars. However he has come under increasing criticism as a result of the human rights abuses which have been committed against activists who fought for women’s rights in the country, including Loujain Al-Hathloul, and following the dismemberment of columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018.