Two Saudis who sexually harassed two Iranian teenagers have been sentenced to 1,000 lashes and four years in prison, a security official said. The Iranians boys were on their way home after visiting Mecca. A criminal court in the Saudi city of Jeddah, which is the main gateway for pilgrims headed to Mecca and Medina, passed the sentence Wednesday said a security official, MSN reported. The two men, who worked at Jeddah international airport, went on trial in late March.
Following the incident, Culture Minister Ali Jannati announced Iran’s suspension of minor pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia “until the criminals are tried and punished.”
In response, Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry vowed that the legal system would “ensure the strictest penalties for perpetrators of such crimes.”
Nearly half a million Iranians make the pilgrimage to Mecca every year.
