Specialized Criminal Court

The Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) is a non-Sharia court created in Saudi Arabia in 2008 to try suspected terrorists and, in practice, human rights activists. On 26 June 2011 it began trying 85 people suspected of involvement with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the 2003 Riyadh compound bombings, and in September 2011 another 41 suspects appeared before it. The same year the court held trial sessions for human rights activists, including Mohammed Saleh al-Bejadi, co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association; Mubarak Zu'air, a lawyer representing long-term prisoners; and Khaled al-Johani, who became known internationally after speaking to BBC Arabic Television at a Riyadh protest. On 22 November 2011 the court convicted 16 of the activists to prison sentences of 5 to 30 years. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/