RIYADH — Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Judiciary Council Sheikh Walid Al-Samaani issued a circular to all courts across the Kingdom to implement the decision of the Supreme Court to abolish flogging as a form of punishment. The minister cited in the circular the Supreme Court’s decision instructing all courts to pronounce jail term or fine or of both as penalties as an alternative to flogging in line with the regulations issued by the higher authorities. The General Commission for the Saudi Supreme Court recently took the landmark decision to end flogging as a form of punishment and to replace it by prison sentences, fines or of both. The minister’s circular clarified that this principle was approved after examination of the matter and its impacts by the commission in accordance with the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court contained in Article 13 of the Judicial System that governs the jurisdictions of the commission. This reform was widely regarded as a momentous step forward in Saudi human rights agenda and one of many recent reforms carried out in the Kingdom. Flogging was used to punish people for a variety of crimes in the Kingdom particularly in cases in which individual judges had the latitude to interpret religious texts and come up with their own sentences. In a related development, Saudi Arabia recently decided to abolish death penalty for individuals convicted of crimes committed while they were minors. The royal decree issued in this regard stipulates that any individual who received a death sentence for crimes committed while he or she is a minor can no longer face execution.