Riyadh - One of the victim's husband reported the incident from his hospital bed.
Published: Sun 12 May 2019, 4:05 PM
Updated: Sun 12 May 2019, 9:46 PM
Saudi Arabia has arrested two citizens within 24 hours for harassing women in the country - after clips of both incidents went viral on social media.
With 24 hours after a Saudi man was arrested for harassing a woman driver in Saudi Arabia's Al Khobar, police apprehended another citizen for sexually harassing a woman shopper leaving a mall in Dammam.
Also read: Man in UAE caught on camera harassing maid
Saudi Arabia's Attorney General Saud Al Moajab took notice of the incidents and ordered the immediate arrest of the man, Saudi Gazette reported.
A police spokesman - without identifying the man - said that he was a Saudi citizen in his 30s.
He added that the police was keen to ensure the safety of all citizens and residents of the country, and issued a stern warning to anyone who dared to disrupt the security and the safety of the society.
In the first case, a video of a man harassing a woman driver had gone viral on social media.
Local media reported that the man usually harassed women in their cars in Al Khobar's Al Qasabi area.
Social media users have launched the hashtag #?????_??????(Al Qasabi harasser), shaming him for his act and asking the authorities to arrest him.
The hashtag became one of the most popular Twitter trends in Saudi Arabia with more than 7,000 tweets.
In the video, the man can be seen harassing women in their vehicles by doing indecent acts such as licking the windows or touching himself inappropriately.
Saudi Arabia criminalizes all harassment acts in 2018 - imposing penalties against harassers of up to 2 years in prison and/or a fine of up to SAR100,000 (Dh98,000)
In the case of a repeated offence, the harasser could be sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and/or fined SAR300,000 (Dh294,000)
In another case, CCTV footage captured the harassment by a Saudi man in a shopping mall. He was intentionally touching the woman as she left the place following her shopping.
According to the police, the incident took place at night last Wednesday.
Saudi Gazette added that the woman came alone to shop because her husband was in hospital in Dammam. She visited her husband in the hospital and then went for shopping at the nearby mall.
The woman's husband lodged a formal complaint - from his hospital bed - with the Eastern Province police through Twitter, seeking the arrest of the man.
The Public Prosecution warned that anyone found guilty of harassing women would be punished.
It is unfortunate that such incidents have taken place during the holy month of Ramadan.
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