BASAHIN AT MALAMAN ANG KARAPATAN NYO SA INYONG SAUDI IQAMA. Only MOI authorized to confiscate iqamas, says NSHR member Last updated: Thursday, August 29, 2013 10:16 PM Saudi Gazette report ABHA — Only the Ministry of Interior has the right to confiscate the iqama of an expatriate and deport him, a member of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has said. However, some authorities not run by the Ministry of Interior confiscate the iqamas and deprive expatriates of an official identity card, potentially landing them in trouble with Passports Department officials and and police officers, Dr. Ali Al-Shabi was quoted as saying by Al-Riyadh daily. No one has the right to take away a worker’s residency permit except those authorities that have been given such powers by law, he said. If a worker has been deprived of his iqama improperly and without legal justification and such actions have caused him a lot of problems, he may file a complaint with the authorities and demand financial compensation. Taking away a worker’s residency permit without legitimate grounds is punishable by law. Such cases are handled by administrative courts. An expatriate worker has rights that should be respected and not violated or breached, he said. Dr. Majid Garoub, a lawyer, said a residency permit is an official identification card and should not under any circumstances be confiscated without a legitimate reason. He noted that most expatriate workers are not aware that the Kingdom’s laws which punishes such actions and victims should contact higher authorities. Dr. Saad Othman, chairman of the social responsibility committee at the Asir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said expatriate workers should be treated respectfully and no authority shall deprive him of his residency permit if he has committed a violation. Workers should be punished according to what is mentioned in their employment contracts, he said. Sponsors do not have the right to take away their workers’ residency permits, he noted. He said: “I’m not aware of any laws that give some authorities the right to confiscate a worker’s residency permit. “Some authorities might do that and this is wrong and degrading to workers who are human beings like us. “No authority should smudge the country’s reputation.” A spokesman for the Riyadh Passports Department told Al-Riyadh daily that even its officers do not have the right to confiscate a worker’s residency permit. Dr. Hadi Al-Yami, a Human Rights Commission member, said no authority has the right to confiscate or destroy a Saudi ID card and the same thing is true for residency permits.
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 11:53:58 +0000
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