Saudi Religious Police Acquitted In Death of Suspect

AFP reports that yesterday, a court in Saudi Arabia acquitted two members of the Saudi religious police (Muttawa) who had been charged in the death of 28-year old Suleiman Al-Huraisi. As described in the US Dept. of State Religious Freedom Report 2007, in May 2007, members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice raided Al-Huraisi's home and arrested him, along with others, on suspicion of alcohol production. They beat Al-Huraisi, who later fell unconscious and died. The Commission's lawyer yesterday said defendants were acquitted because it was not demonstrated conclusively that Al-Huraisi's death was caused by the beating he received from religious police. A confusing fight during the raid left the possibility that Al-Huraisi was killed by a blow from a family member resisting the religious police. (See prior related posting.)