Defamation Law in Saudi Arabia: Online Penalty and How to Report

The owner of a beauty salon in Dammam found a TikTok clip from an anonymous account showing her salon's front and her name, with the caption: “Thieves who cheat with their products.” Within two days the clip had reached the neighbourhood WhatsApp groups, and three customers called to cancel their appointments. Her first thought was to reply with an angry video. The better move was to save the evidence first, then find out whether what happened is defamation punishable by law.

The answer to her question: defaming a person and causing them harm through social media is a crime under the Anti-Cyber Crime Law, punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of up to SAR 500,000, or one of them. The case starts with a report to the police with the evidence, and on top of that you may claim compensation for your harm.

What kind of defamation does Saudi law punish?

Paragraph 5 of Article 3 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law punishes “defaming others and causing them harm through the various means of information technology”. The text combines two elements: words that damage the reputation of a specific person, and harm caused to that person by publishing them through a technical means, whether a social media platform, a WhatsApp group or a website.

The name does not have to be stated. If people know who is meant from a photo, job or details of the incident, the person is identified. On the other hand, a similar name alone does not prove that a general post is about you.

Not every negative opinion is defamation. Writing that a restaurant delivered your order an hour and a half late, and describing what happened accurately, is different from accusing the owner of theft or posting his photo with insulting words. What matters is the content, the context and who is targeted, not the phrase “this is my opinion” at the start of the post. If you have a claim against a merchant or an organisation, the right path is a complaint to the competent authority, because believing what you say is true does not allow you to publish accusations or the other party's documents and photos.

Reposting the offensive post or passing it around in groups may expose the person who does so to liability too, even if the intention was to warn others or defend the victim.

What is the penalty for defamation on social media in Saudi Arabia?

Article 3 punishes with up to one year in prison and a fine of up to SAR 500,000, or one of them. This is a maximum, and the court decides the penalty within it according to the facts.

The penalty rises to no less than half of the maximum if the crime was committed by an organised gang, the offender abused a public office, misled minors, or had previous convictions for similar crimes (Article 8). Anyone who incited, helped or agreed to the crime is punished up to its maximum if it occurred (Article 9), and anyone who attempted it without completing it is punished up to half of the maximum (Article 10). The court may confiscate the devices used and close the website if the crime was committed with its owner's knowledge (Article 13).

The facts may also fit another description than defamation. Photographing a person with a mobile phone and invading his private life is covered by paragraph 4 of Article 3, with the same limits. Producing or sending material that violates public order, religious values, public morals or the privacy of private life through the network is punished under Article 6 with up to five years in prison and a fine of up to SAR 3 million, and the judgment may order a summary to be published at the convicted person's expense once it is final. The Public Prosecution investigates and prosecutes these crimes (Article 15), and the court decides the correct legal description.

Note that the fine goes to the state; it is not compensation for you. You claim compensation for your harm as a private right.

How do you save evidence before it is deleted?

• Take a screenshot of the full post with the account name, username and publication date, and keep the original image without cropping or editing.
• Copy the direct link to the post and the link to the account itself.
• Record your screen while opening the post from the link. This shows it was really published and is not an edited image, and it is almost the only way to keep stories that disappear.
• Save comments and reposts that show how far it spread and who understood that you were meant.
• Document the harm: messages from customers who cancelled, or any letter from your employer.

Do not try to access or hack the other person's account to find out who he is. Unlawful access is a separate crime under the same law, and it would turn you from victim into accused.

Where do you report defamation in Saudi Arabia?

The Law of Criminal Procedure requires criminal investigation officers, including police directors and their assistants, to accept and examine reports and complaints for all crimes (Articles 26 and 27). So the competent police station is a reliable path. Many people use official electronic reporting channels such as the Kollona Amn (“We Are All Security”) app; check which type of report the service accepts and keep the report number.

Crimes involving a private right are, as a rule, investigated only on the victim's complaint, unless the Public Prosecution sees a public interest (Article 17). Your complaint counts as a claim for your private right unless you expressly waive it (Article 29). If you later forgive the offender, your private case ends, but your forgiveness does not stop the public right case from continuing (Article 23). If the account is anonymous, give the details you have and do not accuse a person based on suspicion.

Can I claim compensation for defamation?

Yes. The Civil Transactions Law states that every fault that causes harm to another obliges the person who committed it to compensate (Article 120). Compensation covers your loss and the gain you missed (Article 137), and moral harm caused by an attack on your honour, reputation or social standing, which the court assesses according to its type and the person harmed (Article 138).

You may claim compensation before the court hearing the criminal case at any stage (Article 147 of the Law of Criminal Procedure). Prepare what links the harm to the post: in the salon example, the three customers' messages at the time of cancellation, and the bookings record before and after the clip.

Watch the time limit. A claim for compensation for a harmful act is not heard after three years from when you learned of the harm and of the person responsible, and in any case not after ten years from when it happened. If it arises from a crime, it remains admissible as long as the criminal case is admissible (Article 143).

Should I reply publicly or ask for deletion?

Use the platform's reporting tool to ask for the content to be removed, but only after saving the evidence. Deletion stops it spreading, but it does not cancel the crime that already happened. A public reply may carry the accusation to people who never heard it. If you need one, keep it short and specific, and do not repost the offensive clip itself.

If you know who posted it, a calm written message asking for deletion and correction may save you a long path, as long as it contains no threat or insult.

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.

Practical solutions for both sides

If you are the person defamed:

• Save the full evidence before any contact with the poster or the platform.
• File the report with the links, screenshots and proof of harm, and claim your private right expressly.
• Do not threaten the poster or reply with similar insults, or you may become the subject of a complaint.
• Collect proof of financial and moral harm, and claim compensation before the time limit passes.
• If the other party offers an apology and deletion, write down the settlement terms before you waive anything: deletion, correction and any amount, because forgiveness ends the private right case.

If you are the person the post is attributed to:

• Stop any reposting or new comments on the subject immediately.
• If you find that what you posted was wrong, delete it and publish a correction or apology; this limits the harm.
• If you have documents supporting what you wrote, or context that changes its meaning, keep them complete to give to the investigator.
• If you were not the poster, collect proof of that, such as an earlier report that your account was hacked.
• Do not contact the complainant with pressure or threats. An apology and settlement with the victim may end the private right case, but his forgiveness does not stop the public right case (Article 23).

If you found a post that harms you, or you were summoned because of a post you wrote, send the links and screenshots on WhatsApp, and we will review your position and the right next step with you.