JEDDAH: The Ministry of Justice has put an end to the use of the Absher system in case of family disputes, at times abused by Saudi nationals married to foreigners.
According to Saudi laws, foreigners living in the Kingdom must have a Saudi sponsor if they are to be issued residency permits.
In case of married couples, the Saudi citizen used to have the right to ask for a final exit visa for his/her spouse, under his/her sponsorship, and that right would sometimes be abused out of malicious motives.
Now, under the new measure taken by the ministry, a judge is empowered to allow non-Saudi spouses to stay in the Kingdom pending the completion of the divorce case.
The new regulation is the result of a study prepared jointly by representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the General Directorate of Passports (GDP) on disputes in couples where one of the spouse is foreigner and lives under the sponsorship of the Saudi citizen.
The foreign party can now ask the court to allow him/her to stay in the Kingdom until the case is settled. At the same time, the party requiring to stay in the country has the right to give power of attorney to some third party to follow up on the case
Article 25 of the Shariah law stipulates that if, during the hearing of the case of a defendant, an order is issued for his/her deportation, the court is empowered to determine the period required to complete the case and send it to the relevant authority.
Legal advisor Abdulaziz Al-Harthi told Arab News that the ministry’s new measure is a positive step for all parties, irrespective of their nationalities.
It stops Saudi citizens from exploiting the applicable regulations in the Kingdom and from disregarding the rights of others in case of a family dispute in which they are involved, he said.
He said such cases are widely witnessed in family courts, which deal, in the great majority, 65 percent, with divorce cases of mixed couples, he said.
He stressed that the new system protects foreign spouses, whether in terms of custody of children or financial rights in case of inheritance.
It also ensures the application of Shariah in protecting people's rights and the observation of the principle of justice irrespective of one's nationality, race or gender, he said.
Al-Harthi said the electronic link between the Ministries of Justice and Interior has immensely contributed to solving many problems.
Justice Ministry ends misuse of Absher in divorce cases between mixed couples
Justice Ministry ends misuse of Absher in divorce cases between mixed couples
Riyadh exhibition brings Saudi and Chinese contemporary art into dialogue
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture has announced that the Common Ground Festival, produced by Benchmark, will take place from Dec. 24, 2025 to Jan. 6, 2026 at Misk City, Riyadh.
The exhibition celebrates the Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year 2025 and 35 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Sigg Art Foundation presents “When the Wind Turns East,” a landmark exhibition as part of the festival, featuring works by more than 60 contemporary artists from Saudi Arabia and China.
Among the works on display are significant pieces from the Uli Sigg Collection composed of Chinese contemporary art and the Pierre Sigg Collection of Saudi contemporary art, alongside works from other important collections and directly from artists’ studios.
The Uli Sigg Collection, one of the most comprehensive assemblages of Chinese contemporary art in the world, chronicles the evolution of Chinese artistic practice from the late 20th century to the present.
Uli Sigg, former Swiss ambassador to China, began collecting in the 1980s, with much of his collection donated to Hong Kong’s M+ museum.
The Pierre Sigg Collection encompasses a large body of works, from Modern Art and Post War work to very young artists.
It also documents the dynamic evolution of Saudi artistic practice, capturing a generation of Saudi artists engaging with heritage, innovation, and contemporary identity.
Founded by Pierre Sigg, the collection represents a commitment to preserving and promoting Saudi contemporary art.
“For these two collections to contribute to this exhibition in Riyadh, at a moment celebrating Saudi-Chinese cultural exchange, feels like a natural evolution of what we have always believed: that art transcends borders and speaks a universal language,” Pierre Sigg said.
Among the 60-plus artists presented in “When the Wind Turns East,” these works from the Uli Sigg and Pierre Sigg collections exemplify the exhibition’s dialogue between Saudi and Chinese contemporary art:
From the Pierre Sigg Collection (Saudi artists): Nabila Abuljadayel — The Kiswa, Threads of Faith Crafted in Silk; Manal Al-Dowayan — The Emerging VIII, acrylic on natural linen; Lulwah Al-Homoud — The Language of Existence Series – Al Qudous, mixed media archival paper; and Rashed Al-Shashai — Brand 5, lightbox and mixed media.
From the Uli Sigg Collection (Chinese artists): Gao Weigang — Mountainside, oil on canvas; and Xue Feng — Domains, oil on canvas.
These works, alongside pieces by more than 55 other artists, span painting, textile, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and light-based installation, reflecting the extraordinary diversity of contemporary practice in both artistic communities.
“When the Wind Turns East” is the art centerpiece of the Common Ground Festival, a multidisciplinary cultural celebration exploring Saudi-Chinese exchange through visual arts, performing arts, culinary traditions, and craft demonstrations.
