RIYADH: The Ministry of Interior has announced that heavy penalties await pilgrims who try to perform Haj next month without the necessary permits.
On its Twitter account, the ministry said that pilgrims without permits shall be punished by imprisonment for two months and a fine of SR25,000 each.
“Each pilgrim found twice to be without permits to perform Haj is punishable by imprisonment for a term of six months and a SR50,000 penalty,” the ministry said.
The ministry said that heavy penalties will also be imposed on drivers and vehicle operators who transport pilgrims without Haj permits.
The vehicles used in transporting such pilgrims will be confiscated and operators could also be charged SR100,000 in addition to imprisonment of two years.
“If they are non-Saudis, they will be deported and banned from entering Saudi Arabia after the penalty,” the ministry said.
The General Directorate of Passports, on the other hand, has begun implementing its tasks with regard to the pilgrimage season.
Suleiman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Yahya, passports director general, said the directorate had completed the preparation of trained human cadres.
“They will be supported with modern equipment to fight counterfeiting and computers developed to ensure rapid processing of pilgrims with ease.”
He urged the pilgrims to secure the necessary permits to avoid inconvenience, and issued a warning to all those who shelter or provide work to violators in the Kingdom.
According to statistics of the Public Security Agency, around 49,000 people without Haj permits were stopped in September last year from entering the holy sites in the Kingdom.
Also, 25,216 vehicles had not been given permission to enter the holy sites while 85 vehicles were impounded for various traffic violations.
Pilgrims sans permit, facilitators face heavy fines, imprisonment
Pilgrims sans permit, facilitators face heavy fines, imprisonment
Saudi scientific organization celebrates 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Omar Yaghi
- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology honors him with a reception at its headquarters in Riyadh
- Yaghi, the first Saudi recipient of a Nobel Prize, shared the Nobel Prize with 2 other scientists for their pioneering work in molecular chemistry
LONDON: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh honored Omar Yaghi, the Saudi scientist and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, with a reception at its headquarters in Riyadh on Thursday.
Yaghi is the first Saudi scientist awarded a Nobel Prize. He received it in December, alongside two other scientists, for their pioneering work in the field of molecular chemistry, and for contributions to energy, the environment and advanced materials.
He is also supervisor of the Center of Excellence for Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Applications, a collaboration between KACST and the University of California, Berkeley.
Munir Eldesouki, the president of KACST, said that the Kingdom is keen to recognize its scientific talents, in keeping with Saudi Vision 2030 and its goals relating to the fostering of scientific research.
Yaghi said he appreciated the support he had received from Saudi leaders during his career, and praised them for creating an enabling environment in which scientists are able to pursue world-class research, development and innovation.
Investment in national talent has created a research ecosystem that positions Saudi Arabia among the leading scientific nations, he added.
Thursday’s event, attended by the organization’s staff and students, also honored the winning teams from the recent “GenAI for Materials Discovery Hackathon,” which KACST organized in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, and Academy 32, a nonprofit Saudi organization dedicated to research, development and innovation.
The celebration concluded with an interactive discussion session during which Yaghi talked with students and researchers, reflected on key milestones in his scientific journey, and shared insights into the factors that helped shape his career, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
