Watch: Saudi man arrested for viral video insulting women
Public Prosecution takes action after man says 'women should stay at home'
Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution has ordered the arrest of a man who appeared in a viral video insulting Saudi working women, local media has reported.
The order was issued by the Public Prosecution in accordance with articles 15 and 17 of the Saudi Law of Criminal Procedure.
The accused man has used abusive words against working women by insulting their dignity and decrying their engagement in the job market. The suspect also criticised women’s support and empowerment in society. “Women should stay at home,” he said in the video.
“We follow with interest everything that would prejudice women’s rights of guaranteed by the Saudi law, or anything that would undermine their dignity and legitimate freedom, whatever the pretexts are,” the Public Prosecution said in a statement in reaction to the abusive video against women.
When the abusive man heard about the prosecution’s order of his arrest, he appeared in another video saying that he was kidding and did not mean to insult women.
The Cybercrime Monitoring Centre has examined the video to verify its content on social media and found that it carried a direct abuse to Saudi women and criticising the support and empowerment of women in society.
Following the circulation of the video, complaints poured in on social media platforms asking competent authorities to take legal action against him.
The Saudi law has granted women new freedoms. As the society opens, women surge into job market, but their male counterparts do not always agree.
In 2017, King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz ordered that women be allowed access to government services such as education and healthcare without the need for consent from a guardian. He also issued a decree allowing women to drive in the Kingdom.