Young Man Sentenced to 4 Months in Jail and 90 Lashes for Kissing Woman in Saudi Mall

A Saudi court convicted a man and sentenced him to four months in prison and 90 lashes for kissing a woman in a mall, a government-owned daily reported Thursday.

Photo: Young Man Sentenced to 4 Months in Jail and 90 Lashes for Kissing Woman in Saudi Mall

Saudi religious police arrested the man and two women after seeing them on mall cameras "engaging in immoral movements in front of other shoppers," the Al-Yom newspaper said.

The man, who is in his 20s, was seen with a woman "sitting on one of the chairs, exchanging kisses and hugs." It was unclear what the other woman was doing. Neither the man nor the women were identified by name, The Associated Press reports.

The Saudi religious police cuffed the man, his "accomplice" and a woman with them after the trio were spotted on mall cameras "engaging in immoral movements in front of other shoppers," according to Al-Yom.

The man, who is in his 20s, was caught hugging and kissing one of the women, according to the police report. It has not yet been determined what the other woman was doing.

In accordance with the country’s strict enforcement of Islamic law, which calls for sex segregation, the man has been charged with three batches of 30 lashings and jail time. He will also be banned from the mall for two years, New York Daily News reports.