Saudi Arabia: Reconciliation panels ease pressure on courts

JEDDAH: Following the continued success of the Reconciliation Committee at Jeddah’s General Court, the Ministry of Justice is mooting whether to introduce similar committees at courts across the Kingdom.

A massive backlog of cases and a shortage of judges have in recent years lent greater importance to the work that reconciliation committees do in settling disputes. These committees look into cases, especially those dealing with cases relating to blood money and marital disputes, before they reach judges.

According to a recent report in Al-Madinah newspaper, there are 266 judges working in the Kingdom’s 662 courts. The judges each year handle around 72,000 cases, including 12,000 criminal cases.

A report by the Social Center for Cordiality and Guidance, an organ affiliated to the General Court, said the Reconciliation Committee in Jeddah managed to solve 76 percent of the 8,500 family disputes that it looked into in the past three years. It also counseled 85,000 people via telephone, organized 158 family and marriage training sessions and distributed 60,000 awareness fliers.

The report added that heads of court have called on Justice Minister Abdullah Al-Asheikh to carefully select individuals for the proposed reconciliation committees and to provide them with necessary resources.

They also suggested extending the institution’s powers, allowing them to look into all types of family cases. They called for a special department at the Justice Ministry to oversee the functioning of the committees.

The Reconciliation Committee in Jeddah coordinates with the Makkah Governorate in securing pardons for convicted murderers. The committee has so far looked into 420 such cases from across the Kingdom and managed to secure pardons for 104 people on death row.

In a previous report in Al-Madinah newspaper, a number of people stressed the need to financially support reconciliation committees, which are generally run by part-time employees and volunteers.

Yahya Attiya, former secretary of the committee, said the organization plays an important role in Saudi society. “When feuding parties feel they won’t be forced to accept something against will, the chances of reconciliation increase,” he said.

“The Reconciliation Committee breaks the barriers of hostility between feuding parties and makes it easy to negotiate and reach amicable settlements. Reconciliation sessions are flexible and have a congenial atmosphere. On the contrary, court sessions are stringent and places where every word counts,” said Attiya.

When asked about the complications the committee faces, he said, “Sometimes we encounter problems when we intercede to solve a problem between married couples. Like when we ask the husband to pay a sum of money or buy a gift for his wife that he can’t afford,” he said.

According to Ahmad Muhammad Al-Mazrouie, head of the Summary Court in Makkah and a judge at the Court of Cassation in Riyadh, reconciliation committees are a blessing per se. “They help in solving many disputes and problems peacefully, exactly as Islam teaches us. These includes marital problems and issues surrounding blood money,” he said.

Hayzae bin Ali, head of the Directorate of Legal Counseling in Makkah, said, “Reconciliation committees help solve problems before they reach courts. They contribute to helping people in a community integrate. They also spread the message of compassion and peace in society.”

---Arab News