Saudi Media Violations Committee: Penalties and How to Appeal

A perfume shop owner in Riyadh wakes up to a clip by an influencer with half a million followers saying his perfumes are "fake and cheap". The clip spreads within two days. He wants to complain, but where: the media regulator, the Public Prosecution, or a court? On the other side, another influencer has been summoned by the media regulator over an old clip and does not know who will decide his case or whether he can object.

The short answer: media content violations, including posts on social media accounts, are decided by the Primary Committee for Violations of the Printing and Publication Law and the Audiovisual Media Law. It is a quasi-judicial committee formed by Royal Order (Articles 37 and 40 of the Law of Printed Materials and Publication). Its decisions can be challenged before the Appeal Committee, whose decision is final and cannot be challenged before any other body. If the content is a crime, such as defamation, invasion of privacy or blackmail, the case goes to the Public Prosecution and then the criminal court.

What is the media violations committee, and who forms it?

The Law of Printed Materials and Publication, as amended in 1433H, created one or more Primary Committees, each chaired by a person with judicial experience, with a legal adviser and a media specialist as members (Article 37). Above them sits an Appeal Committee with the same make-up, each member having at least 25 years of experience (Article 40). Both committees are formed, and their chairs and members named, by Royal Order for renewable three-year terms, and the Minister of Media issues their procedural rules.

The Audiovisual Media Law of 1439H did not create new committees. It defines the "Primary Committee" and "Appeal Committee" as the committees formed under the Printing and Publication Law (Article 1), so the same committees hear violations of both laws. The General Authority for Media Regulation (GMedia, الهيئة العامة لتنظيم الإعلام) monitors and records violations: its officers appointed by its head have judicial-police powers (Article 16). It summons violators, refers them to the committees, and can itself impose a fine of up to SAR 1 million for violations listed in the regulation (Article 18).

What penalties can the committee impose on an account holder?

For violations of the Printing and Publication Law, the committee may impose one or more of the following (Article 38):

• A fine of up to SAR 500,000, doubled for a repeated violation.
• A ban on writing in newspapers and publications, on media appearances on satellite channels, or both.
• Temporary or permanent closure or blocking of the place of the violation; for a website or online newspaper, the Minister carries out the closure or blocking.
• An order to publish an apology, in the wording set by the committee, at the violator's cost and in the same place, where the violation was publishing false information or accusations against a person or a private entity.

For violations of the Audiovisual Media Law, the fine rises to SAR 10 million, with a ban from practising the profession for up to six months or cancellation of the license (Article 17). The committee may also order its decision published at the violator's cost once final (Article 19). In practice, in December 2025 the Authority announced committee decisions against nine people that included fines and deletion of the accounts used for the violations.

Who can file a complaint, and by when?

The Primary Committee only hears complaints from a person with standing and a direct interest, or matters referred by the Minister (Article 37(2)). If a clip harms your shop or trade name, you have standing. A follower who dislikes content that does not concern them reports it to the Authority through its reporting channels, and the Authority decides whether to refer it.

The deadline is short. The procedural rules issued by the Ministry of Media in 1440H bar hearing a complaint more than 90 days after the date of publication, as the Ministry announced when they were issued (Saudi Press Agency, 4 February 2019). The complaint states your details, the other party's details, the subject, your requests and their grounds. The committee decides within 60 days of the first session, after summoning the violator and hearing them (Article 37(3)).

• The link to the post and a full screenshot showing the date, account name and view count.
• Proof of your standing: commercial registration, trademark, or your ID if you are the person targeted.
• Proof that the claim is false if it alleges fraud or a violation: conformity certificates and supplier invoices.
• Names of people who saw the clip and contacted you about it, in case it is later deleted.

A decision was issued against you: how do you appeal?

Count the deadline by the type of decision:

1. A fine issued by the Authority: object before the Primary Committee within 60 days of notification (Article 18(1) of the Audiovisual Media Law).
2. A precautionary suspension of broadcasting or the license: object before the Appeal Committee within 15 days of notification; it decides within 15 days (Article 18(2)).
3. A Primary Committee decision: object before the Appeal Committee within 15 days of being notified of it, under Article 23 of the committees' procedural rules as reported by Okaz when they were issued.

Before the 1433H amendment, Article 40 allowed a grievance before the Board of Grievances within 60 days. That text was replaced. The current text makes Appeal Committee decisions final and not open to challenge before any other body, and so does Article 20 of the Audiovisual Media Law. Do not plan on a third stage. Under the Audiovisual Media Law, the fine is collected with immediate enforcement, and the Authority may recover any money earned from the violation (Article 17).

When does the case go to the Public Prosecution instead?

The dividing line is how the act is classified. The committee deals with breaches of publishing and licensing rules. Defaming others, or invading private life through camera phones, is a cyber crime punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of up to SAR 500,000, or either (Article 3 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law). Producing or publishing material that harms public order, religious values, public morals or the privacy of private life is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to SAR 3 million, or either (Article 6). The Public Prosecution investigates and prosecutes these crimes (Article 15).

The Printing and Publication Law itself requires the committee, where a violation insults the religion, harms the higher interests of the state, or falls within the courts' jurisdiction, to refer it with a reasoned decision to the Minister so that legal action can be taken before the competent court (Article 38). In December 2025 the Authority summoned 40 violators: six were referred to the Public Prosecution under the Anti-Cyber Crime Law, and nine others received committee decisions. Penalties under both media laws apply without prejudice to harsher penalties in other laws, so both routes can run together. The committee does not award compensation, as it is not among the penalties it can impose; you claim compensation before the competent court.

Back to the perfume shop: the clip was posted on 10 January. The owner has two routes that can run together.

First, a complaint to the Primary Committee before 90 days from publication pass, asking for a penalty and an order that the influencer publish an apology on the same account, attaching conformity certificates for his perfumes.

Second, a cyber-defamation report to the Public Prosecution if the clip has caused him harm, with a claim for compensation as his private right.

Practical steps for both sides

If you were harmed by content posted by an influencer or an account:

• Record the post at once, with its link and date, before it is deleted.
• File your complaint within 90 days of publication; do not wait for the noise to die down.
• Be clear about what you want: a penalty, a published apology, or blocking of the content.
• If the content is defamatory or invades your privacy, also take the Public Prosecution route and claim compensation.
• Provide proof that the claim is false; the committee hears both sides.

If you are an account holder or influencer who received a summons or a decision:

• Attend the summons; do not ignore it. The committee decides after summoning you and hearing you.
• Delete or correct the content at once; continuing doubles the fine.
• Count your deadlines carefully: 60 days for an Authority decision, 15 days to appeal to the Appeal Committee.
• Present your full defence from the start; there is no challenge after the Appeal Committee's decision.
• Do not post replies to the complainant while the case is pending; it may become a new violation.

If you have a clip that harms you, or a decision from the Authority or the committee, send us the link or the decision on WhatsApp and we will look at the right route and the time you have left.

This is general information based on the official Arabic texts of Saudi laws, which prevail over any translation. It is not legal advice for your specific case.