Its members are appointed by the King. The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for the whole process of arrest and detention, and decides on referrals to courts and indefinite detention. The judiciary is denied any role in supervising these processes. His arrest was one of many arbitrary arrests reported over the years of people perceived to be political or religious opponents of the government on their return to Saudi Arabia from abroad. She was arrested on her arrival in Jeddah, then detained in al-Ha'ir prison in Riyadh before being released without charge in December 1998.
Arbitrary arrests are routine in Saudi Arabia.
Vaguely worded laws facilitate the arbitrary administration of justice, and the imprisonment of individuals on political or religious grounds. Such laws invite arbitrary arrests, which are often carried out with unnecessary use of violence. Once arrested, detainees may be held indefinitely with no right to challenge the legality of their detention before a judicial authority. All are held incommunicado immediately after arrest, a practice which facilitates torture. Some are held in solitary confinement, denied any contact with fellow prisoners.