SAUDI ARABIA: DEATH SENTENCE NO LONGER MANDATORY FOR DRUG SMUGGLERS

Saudi Arabia redefined its drug trafficking laws, giving discretionary powers to judges and allowing them to hand down jail sentences instead of awarding the death penalty, the Jeddah-based Saudi Gazette reported. The Saudi Anti-Drug and Mental Effects Regulation stipulated the death penalty for drug traffickers, manufacturers and recipients of any narcotic substances. However, judges could now exercise discretion to reduce the sentence to imprisonment for a maximum of 15 years, sessions of 50 lashes, and a minimum fine of 100,000 Saudi riyals [more than 26,000 US dollars].