Law of Combating Crimes of Terrorism and its Financing

Purpose and scope

• Criminalises terrorist acts and their financing and sets the penalties; its offences are major offences requiring detention (Article 2), and it applies to Saudis and foreigners who commit them abroad in specified cases (Article 3).

Key rules, rights and obligations

• The competent court decides offences under the law and claims to annul decisions or for compensation linked to its application, with appeal to the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal (Article 24).
• Financial institutions and non-profits may not alert a customer that a report has been filed or that an investigation is under way (Article 71).

Violations, penalties and common problems

• Prison terms vary by act, for example: founding or running a terrorist entity, fifteen to twenty-five years (Article 32); joining one, three to twenty years (Article 33).
• Supporting or promoting terrorist ideology, three to eight years (Article 34); publishing material disturbing public order for a terrorist purpose, one to five years (Article 44).
• Financing terrorism or collecting funds for it, five to fifteen years (Article 47); a legal person is fined three to ten million riyals (Article 49).
• Anyone who knows of a planned terrorist offence and fails to report it, or conceals it, faces up to five years (Articles 54 and 55).
• A convicted Saudi is barred from travel after prison for an equal period, and a non-Saudi is deported and may not return (Article 53).

Procedures and key deadlines

• The court may reduce the penalty to half the minimum if the offender promptly reports information that helps prevent the offence or catch its perpetrators (Article 56).
• For valid reasons the court may suspend up to half of the prison term, provided the offender has no prior conviction under the law and shows remorse (Article 57).

An advisory summary prepared by Al-Bayan Al-Wadih Law Firm. It is not an official text and does not replace the law, its implementing regulations, or advice from a specialised lawyer. The official published text and its amendments prevail.