RIYADH, May 25: Saudi Arabia has announced curbing some powers of the powerful Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (generally referred to locally as Mutawwas or religious police).

The religious police has been under increasing international spotlight.

It has become a major source of conflict between the liberals and the conservatives in the society. Newspapers have been carrying stories against the behaviour and the attitude of commission members.

Some editors had to pay a price for highlighting and carrying these stories too.

The Saudi Interior Minister, Prince Naif, decreed that from now on public prosecutors would deal with all cases concerning ‘harassment’.

The statement issued on Wednesday said the role of the virtue commission will now be restricted to arresting suspects and handing them over to police who will probe the issue as per the normal police procedures.

After the investigations, the security authorities will later hand all such suspects over to the commission of investigation with their report.