An official source at the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Hai’a) has refuted allegations leveled against it by the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR).

Responding to the charge that some Hai’a personnel deal roughly with detainees, he said: “The Hai’a had taken measures to correct the erratic behavior of some of its members. The organization does not condone physical and psychological abuse of anyone, regardless of the reason for detention. Every individual is entitled to fair treatment that preserves his honor and self-respect.”

He said such changes were more evident over the last six months. “No one has complained about being chased by the Hai’a since such acts have been criminalized. It should be understood that the Hai’a has stopped seeking the help of volunteers, especially in fieldwork. Moreover, we don’t give a chance to anyone to impersonate our members as all of our field staff are required to wear the Hai’a badge,” Al-Hayat newspaper quoted the source as saying.

He said the public should understand that anyone without a badge does not belong to the Hai’a and the organization should not be held accountable for his actions.

The source also denied accusations by the NSHR of Hai’a personnel using force to extract confessions from detainees.

“We have explained a number of times that we are not law enforcers. We are only a monitoring body and when the Hai’a personnel notice something unwholesome in society we seek the help of the police to arrest the violators because law enforcement comes under their jurisdiction,” said the official.

He said the Hai’a rejects such malpractice because they contradict Islamic teachings.

As for the accusations that Hai’a members search personal possessions such as mobile phones and laptops unjustifiably intruding into people’s privacy and without search warrants, he said, “We work according to the legal guidelines and allow such search operations only in special circumstances.”

He also reiterated that the Hai’a personnel do not force suspects to sign reports before allowing them to read the reports. Such practices are forbidden by law, he added.

The source said the Hai’a does not take any action in 90 percent of misdemeanor cases in accordance with the Islamic principle of concealing wrongful behavior except in cases involving blasphemy and atonement.

“When Hai’a members discover that suspects taken into custody had no previous criminal records, we release them quickly after giving them necessary advice,” he added.