As Younus , a lack of legal representation likely led to harsher outcomes for Pakistanis in the Saudi criminal justice system. Without lawyers, detainees had limited ability to understand court procedures or obtain court documents, and in many cases signed confessions or agreed to sentences that directly harmed their interests. Lack of Adequate Translation Services Former Pakistani detainees and family members of current detainees also said that translation services provided by Saudi courts were poor, and, in some cases, translators intentionally misrepresented what defendants said, sometimes admitting to an offense on behalf of a defendant or apologizing and asking for mercy. According to Amir, who served a one-year sentence for allegedly stealing scrap metal, the translator misrepresented his side of the story, telling the judge that he admitted to the accepted our crime and as a result of that the court giving us a one- 26 Younus, who eventually obtained a lawyer, also complained about misleading translation during the early stages of his trial. He said: I realized that the translator gave an incorrect statement before the court that I did not say. The translator was stating before the court that the accused told him that he brought these drugs from Pakistan and he is sorry for his act. At this, I directly addressed the judge in Arabic and told him that the translator was giving a trust that translator. At this, judge sent me back to jail. Hafiz said that his wife is currently serving a 20-year sentence for drug smuggling after she signed an Arabic-language court ruling she could not read. He said the translator urged his wife to sign it without revealing that it contained a 20-year sentence, saying only that it contained the story she told the judge. He said she later found out about her sentence from a prison guard.27 26 Justice Project Pakistan interview with Amir, Sargodha, April 8, 2016. 27 Justice Project Pakistan interview with Hafiz, September 16, 2016. AUGHT IN A WEB 18