Saudi Arabia’s medieval legal system has added a new outrage to its record: On Sunday, Saudi lawyer and reform advocate Waleed Abulkhair was sentenced on Sunday to 15 years in prison and a 15-year travel ban (to start after his release). He was also ordered to pay 200,000 Saudi riyals ($53,000). His offense? “inciting public opinion against the government” and “insulting the country’s leaders and judiciary.” The sentence once again raises the question over our level of support for Saudi Arabia and its distinction from our distinction with other countries viewed as extreme and inimical to the rule of law. Abulkhair is the head of the “Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia” organization and was ranked by Forbes magazine as one of Top 100 Most Influential Arabs on Twitter.
Abulkhair attracted the ire of the Kingdom by calling for reforms such as release of political prisoners and the expansion of women’s rights. He was tried in Specialized Criminal Court used for trying accused terrorists.
The Saudi prosecutors cannot get enough of hammering Abulkhair. This is the second sentencing this year. In February, he was sentenced to three months in prison for signing statements critical of the Saudi government and of Saudi officials.
As we discussed, in May,Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes by a Saudi court for insulting Islam. That outrageous sentence followed the sentencing a month earlier of Fadhil al-Manasif to 15 years and a 15-year travel ban for “breaking allegiance with the King” and “harming the reputation of Saudi Arabia by speaking with foreign news agencies.” The prior years, leading reformers Mohammed al-Qahtani and Abdullah al-Hamid were each sentenced for operating “unlicensed human rights organizations” and spreading false information and given 10 years in prison and a five-year travel ban. The travel bans are an interesting twist to not only jail reformers and civil libertarians but then prevent them from interacting with the outside world.
This grotesque list of abuses only reaffirms the widely held view of Saudi legal system as a Sharia-based, government-controlled mockery of justice. The only redeeming factor is that the Kingdom still produces this type of courageous and selfless hero — willing to face long criminal sentences to fight for rights that most of the world takes for granted. As for being sentenced for “insulting the country’s . . . judiciary,” that is a standard that would lead to mass incarcerations given a level of universal contempt for the Saudi courts.
Source: CNN
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4196147/They-will-burn-in-hell-for-what-they-have-done-to-me.html
He was happy and prosperous. Then, on December 17 2000, he was kidnapped by Saudi Arabian police as he got out of his car to walk into the hospital. Handcuffed and thrown into a police van, he was taken to an interrogation room in a prison in Riyadh. At that point, his nightmare began in earnest.
Charlton, some of the guest articles here are partisan, but yours was simply American. Well done.
USA’s involvement with Saudi Arabia is oil. The rest is a foreign entanglement. One would expect interwoven religion in the old world, No “wall of separation” here. Still burning Brunos, here there and everywhere…
Saucy,
Bill McW is classic Holocaust denier. I have no idea what drives people like him. What would he have said to Kirby Cowan? I wrote about Kirby and his buddies here and here.
Obama’s jealous…
I’ve never supported invading a country. I support invading Saudi Arabia and wiping out the House of Saud as a service to humanity and retribution for all the people it has slaughtered using faux judicial process. I’ve seen videos of their famous “partial” decapitation. The cut halfway through the neck so you drown in you own blood while conscious.
Despicable and disgusting to the point it would make Hannibal Lechter blush.
bill mcwilliams wrote “the so-called Holocaust”
Did you know there are Soviet films on the subject? One of them noted that there were over 300 death camps, so it was rather difficult for Germans to be unaware of them. These movies are in Russian, of course, but some of them have been translated into English. Holocaust deniers such as yourself need to explain how it is that both Russians and the West agree on the Holocaust when they agree on little else.
The Soviets were the first to encounter death camps at Majdanek, but Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka followed soon after. U.S. and British forces did not believe the reports until they saw the horrors for themselves.
The only fact which is debatable is the exact number of deaths. I saw one estimate which calculated that only (!) 5.1 million Jews had been killed. Most estimates center around six million.
Given the enormous amount of film, photographs, and first-person interviews on the subject of the Holocaust, one would have to be a completely ignorant imbecile to deny its existence.
At least we can whine about what bad people are doing to advocates of openness. ( Yikes …… I hate the use of “we” …. “we” is used in the most ridiculous fashions. Like ==> We are a corrupt country …. what does “we” mean in this context ? )
Try expressing doubts about the so-called Holocaust in Germany or in that bastion of democracy, Israel, and unlike here, where most sheeple will merely
call you names, and you’ll be subject to arrest and imprisonment.
Paul C. Schulte
We are not without our own faults. Obama has trashed and certainly would jail, if possible, Fox News. He has sicced the IRS on a few of his opponents. Not sure which is worse, jail or an IRS audit.
===================
We are Obama is your mantra not mine.
We are corrupt is the proper mantra for a corrupt political system critic.
Your knickers are all in a not.
Dredd – it is knot not not.
What do you expect from Saudi Arabia? This is not a civilized nation state. I would like to see America pull out of many of these pirate territories. Close the embassies in Benghazi and really all point East of Corfu where the Ten Commandments Dont Apply. Deny Americans visas to go to these places. Ban Americans from doing business with them.
With 22,000,000 viewers (new post 7/714 came today) to this post, starting a viral petition against this atrocity of civil justice would be an interesting item to hand to the Saudi Family (uncivilized behavior…very tongue in Shiek, one might say) .
This is indeed a great mirror as we reflect on our democratic freedoms. Considering the price Abulkhair will pay, how can we be a light to others, when our government is sacrificing our freedoms?
We are not without our own faults. Obama has trashed and certainly would jail, if possible, Fox News. He has sicced the IRS on a few of his opponents. Not sure which is worse, jail or an IRS audit.
Impeach Obama, Holder, and Power. Over and out.
“Abulkhair attracted the ire of the Kingdom by calling for reforms such as release of political prisoners and the expansion of women’s rights. He was tried in Specialized Criminal Court used for trying accused terrorists.” – JT
Sounds like the western courts that write their ruminations down on paper made from a rubber tree plant.
Such as The Star Chamber, The FISC classified court, or the Guantanamo Due Process at gun point rigmarole Court.
Where whistle blowers go.
Only worse.
I hope the US does NOT sell any drones to them. Otherwise Prof Turley will be needing anti-aircraft weapons.
For JT he doesn’t get invited to DC cocktail parties for his critique of the Obama administration. He’s be doing serious time in The Kingdom. He better hope Holder isn’t tapping his phones and the IRS aren’t auditing him.
If a government intends to arrest everyone who criticizes the government, they may as well just arrest everyone. Who on earth doesn’t criticize government? Even those who are part of it, criticize it.
The Saudis don’t seem to be worried about Isis. Of course weren’t some of the 9/11 bombers from Saudi Arabia.
Are you kidding? There will be blood. Jonathan, I eliminated a felony in the state of Illinois, People v. Alejos. Johnny Cusack, Matt Adel, and David Prince were the Evanston Brat Pack. Where were you? Over and out.