Saudi Arabia has striped its religious police of arrest powers

Saudi Arabia has stripped its religious police of the power to arrest when carrying out duties and enforcing Islamic law.

Under the new directives approved on Tuesday, members of the force -- formally known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice -- can no longer detain people they identify as breaking the kingdom's strict standards of moral conduct.

Now, the so-called Haia force must report individuals' "misbehaviors" to the police or drug police, the official Saudi Press Agency reports.

"They alone have the authority to follow, chase, stop, question, verify identification, arrest any suspected persons," the decree states.

• Tweet
• Share
• Share
• Share
• Share