Saudi Arabia’s medieval legal system is back in the news with another attack on free speech and free thought. A Saudi reformist writer, Zuhair Kutbi, has been jailed for four years and banned from writing for his calls to reform the Kingdom. Kubti had called fellow intellectuals “cowards” in failing to stand up for reforms. Rather than engage Kubti in debate over its alleged racist and repressive elements, the response of the Kingdom was to jail him and ban him from writing for 15 years.
Half of the sentence was suspended on the jail time. However, while he will have to spend just two years in jail but main purpose of the prosecution remains unchanged: a 15 year ban on writing. He was also ordered to pay 100,000 riyals ($26,667) and banned from travelling for five years
The draconian sentence was handed down by the Saudi “terrorism” court that has been widely accused of focusing more on critics and dissidents than terrorists.
Kutbi, 62, was detained after an interview in June in which he called for “transforming the country into a constitutional monarchy and combatting religious and political repression.” No wonder he was viewed as so dangerous by our close allies in the Saudi Royal family.
The U.S. government does essentially the same thing on a smaller scale. Similar to the infancy period of the East German Stasi except with better computer technology and employment tampering.
Maybe we should lead by example before pointing fingers!
Please sir, quit insulting medieval times by comparing them to the stinking, camel riding, thieving house of saud.
Oh, the irony.
We are so lucky we live in the US, with Freedom of Speech, rather than in the intolerant and repressive Middle East, overrun with extremism.
I with the Middle East would reform from within, but look at what such crusaders face.
Why are communists, Muslims et al. afraid of free speech, “hate speech” or any other kind of speech?
Are they afraid it will succeed?
Are they afraid that free people will be “wrong” people? That’s impossible.
What did the American Founders envision when they implemented freedom of speech, thought, press, etc.?
What was the genius behind the Constitution and the American thesis of freedom and free enterprise without
interference by government?
The genius is that freedom will righteously prevail over slavery to ideology, tyranny and dictatorship.
Reblogged this on Dave Alexander & Company — Ukuleledave and David Edgren and commented:
Sometimes when you “Call For” something, it doesn’t actually happen. Often “Denouncing” has the same meaningless effect.
Gosh, perhaps GW was called as a character witness saving this man’s head. I mean he is THAT influential in the Kingdom after all.
the same folks Obvomit bowed to
There is a phrase I hear in New Orleans sometimes: “Ya can’t reform an idjit.” That is not a mis spelling of the last word there. That is how they say it. I think it pertains to Sultans and those who wear a crown on their heads on Planet Earth.
Ok Saudi “reformists”: you are on notice. Go elsewhere to speak freely. Dumb schmuck.
As others have remarked, the guy is lucky to be keeping his head. Perhaps there is a change on the horizon.
Correction: Obama went to the King’s funeral on short notice right after the Charlie Hebdo Memorial. His lame excuse for not attending in Paris was security on short notice, but he bowed to the Saudis on very short notice.
It’s not just Bush, fly boy! When ALL world leaders were in Paris for the Charlie Hebdo memorial, your cult leader was in The Kingdom for the king’s birthday. Just sayn’!
There has been great improvement. I would have expected a beheading or public stoning.
This is our ally to whom our government gives billions! It is time to boycott SA and stop all travel by their princes to the WEST.
The Saudis have shown great restraint here. Under normal Islamic tradition, Kutbi would be subject to a beheading.
Well We should not forget that our last President Bush thought of these royal idiots as part of the family. As I recall, they thought of Prince Bandar as Bandar Bush! Then after 9/11, while I and all of US pilots were grounded, the Saudis got to fly their aircraft around the US picking up their people. Let us not forget the enablers in the US who give these cretins power to do things like this.
Long American flags built in Malaysia, sold at Wal Mart! Spreading American justice, democracy and equality since Woodrow Wilson’s policies over a C ago! And the world is loving it “to death!” (pun intended)
First, we should refer to Arabia as Arabia. Why glorify a savage primitive family who only rules because they allow Western petroleum companies to control their oil?
Somehow, it just seems anti-climatic when no heads roll in Saudi Arabia.