A Saudi security official said two airport employees have been convicted and sentenced to four years in prison each for sexually harassing two male Iranian pilgrims, the AP reported.
The official said the court also ordered that the two workers at Jeddah International Airport receive 1,000 lashes each. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
He said the criminal court in Jeddah, a Red Sea city that’s the main gateway for pilgrims visiting Mecca and Medina, handed down the ruling on Wednesday.
The harassment incident in March prompted Iran to suspend all minor pilgrimages, or Umrahs, to Saudi Arabia.
Details of the abuse were not disclosed. The two teenage pilgrims said they were sexually harassed at the airport before their flight back to Iran.
