Background

A claimant filed a case against a defendant at Riyadh Partial Court claiming the defendant had gone into their mobile phone and sent messages to their contact list that they were addicting to drugs and were gay. The claimant requested the court to issue a slander ruling against the defendant.

The defendants denied the allegations made by the claimant.

The claimant brought two witnesses who were police officers who had gone to arrest the defendant after the complaint against him. One of the witnesses stated he had called the number which had sent the messages and that the defendant had received the call before trying to smash up the mobile after he discovered what the officer was doing.

Decision

The court ruled that the defendant should receive 70 lashes.

The court of cassation upheld the ruling.

The citation and date given is that of Riyadh Partial Court as the Court of Cassation merely confirmed the ruling.