Jail, lashes for Saudi woman seeking alimony

Saudi Gazette

A Saudi woman did not know when she filed for alimony from her foreign husband, the court will sentence her to jail instead. The woman complained to a Jeddah court that her husband was not paying her child support and requested the court’s intervention. The judge, however, ruled against the woman and sentenced her to five days in jail and 10 lashes. Announcing his verdict, the judge who looked into the case said the woman was legally married to her foreign husband with the approval of the Ministry of Interior but was divorced after they had two children from the marriage. Three years later, the woman returned to her husband, but this time without the prior approval of the ministry or authentication from court, which is against the Saudi law. Saudi women seeking to marry foreigners are required to fullfill a series of tough conditions. The woman said she was ignorant of the law and argued that authenticating the marriage was the husband’s job and not hers. She said she approached the court seeking child support from her ex-husband and not to authenticate their marriage. The woman said she wanted identification for her children, especially as her husband had abandoned them and that was the reason why she moved the court. The woman claimed she currently lives on charity as she receives only SR800 in social security support.