Before boarding his flight to Crawford to meet with President Bush Monday, Saudi Arabia"s Crown Prince Abdullah presided over the arrest of 40 Pakistani Christians on Friday. Their crime? The Pakistanis were caught praying in a private home in the capital Riyadh in violation of the state"s strictly enforced religious law that bans all non-Muslim worship.
At every stage of the investigation, detention, trial and sentencing, the Saudi authorities violated Ahmad's due process rights and well as international legal protections for children. He had no legal assistanceor representation during interrogation, detention and trial. Press and police accounts also throw into question his psychological stability during this period and his ability to participate in his own defense.
He told the Saudi online newspaper al-Yaum al-Elektroni that he confessed only after police questioned him for the third time because"my strength dwindled and I lacked the capacity to refuse." He saidthat while in pre-trial solitary confinement for three months he "criedfrom fear and loneliness."
[/align]How could they try him as an adult? Simple. He had pubic hair.
Women are routinely beaten and circumcized. http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_id=154
This issue came to the forefront recently when 14 schoolgirls died after the mutaween"the Saudi religious police"herded them back into a burning building because they were not wearing Islamic headscarves and black robes and their male relatives were not present to retrieve them.
One eyewitness claims to have seen three members of the religious police "beating young girls to prevent them from leaving the school because they were not wearing the abaya." Another bystander said that members of the religious police stopped men who tried to help the girls escape, saying, "It is sinful to approach them."
In the height of irony and Orwellian thinking, the government body under which these religious police operate is self-titled the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Armed with their own interpretations of the Koran as justification for their actions, these religious police have played a key role in the Saudi government"s successful efforts to oppress and subjugate women. They are particularly feared for their policing of the "abaya," a black head-to-toe robe that Saudi women must wear when in public.
According to the U.S. Department of State report on Saudi Arabia, the mutaween reportedly arrest women for such unlawful activities as riding in a taxi with a man who is not their relative, appearing with their heads uncovered in shopping malls, and eating in restaurants with males who are not their relatives. In such cases, prisoners can be held for days, sometimes weeks. Women cannot walk alone, even in their own neighborhoods, without fear of being stopped, beaten or accused of prostitution.
Sadly, there is more. Saudi women have significantly fewer rights in the eyes of the law than men"and are treated as less than second-class citizens. For example, daughters receive half the inheritance awarded to their brothers. And in court, the testimony of one man equals that of two women. In order for a woman"s interests to be represented in court proceedings such as divorce and family law cases, male relatives must be appointed to speak on her behalf. And while women must demonstrate legally specified grounds for divorce, men may divorce without giving cause. Women cannot even be admitted to a hospital for medical treatment without the consent of a male relative. Although women make up approximately 5 percent of the formal work force and own about 20 percent of the businesses, they must appoint a male relative to represent them in financial transactions.
In a throwback to our own days of racial segregation, women in Saudi Arabia must enter city buses by separate rear entrances and sit in specially designated sections. Even to be allowed by authorities to travel inside the country or abroad, women must first obtain written permission from their closest male relative.
Women have few outlets for expressing opposition to Saudi Arabia"s oppressive system of government. Even driving is prohibited under Saudi law. In 1990, 47 women defied the ban by driving around the capital of Riyadh for 15 minutes. After losing their jobs and passports for two years, many of those women are still feeling the repercussions today.
Amazingly enough, Saudi Arabia was voted onto the UN Commission on Human Rights, which leads me to believe that when government officials insist that money and oil are not influencing the debate on human rights in Saudi Arabia, it"s sheer fantasy. In fact, it"s all about money and oil.
Hundreds of suspected religious activists, critics of the state and protesters, including women, were detained following waves of arrests carried out throughout most of the year. Dozens of them were detained after their forcible return to Saudi Arabia by other governments, including Sudan, Syria, the USA and Yemen. Their conditions of detention and legal status, like those detainees held from previous years, remained unclear due to the secrecy of the criminal justice system which also lacks the most basic standards of fair trial.
Most of the detainees were targeted for arrest in the context of a government policy of "combating terrorism", the implementation of which was intensified in the aftermath of the bombings in Riyadh and other acts of violence. However, hundreds of people were arrested solely as critics of the state or following demonstrations held during and after the human rights conference in October.
[*]Um Sa"ud, a 60-year-old woman, was arrested on 14 October for having taken part in a demonstration that took place that day in Riyadh. She was reportedly beaten and ill-treated on arrest. During the demonstration she carried a picture of her son, Sa"ud al-Mutayri, who reportedly died during a fire in al-Ha"ir Prison on 15 September. She was apparently calling for the return of her son"s body to the family. She and two other women were among more than 270 people arrested during the demonstration. The Interior Minister reportedly said that those arrested would be treated as "outlaws" and would receive a "deterrent" punishment. Most of them were released after interrogation, but the three women and 80 men were reportedly sentenced to 55 days in prison. They were believed to have been released on 17 December on completion of sentence.[*]Abd al-"Aziz al-Tayyar, a 44-year-old former public relations director at Riyadh Chamber of Commerce, was arrested in September for criticizing the government during a television program broadcast by the satellite television station of the UK-based Saudi Arabian opposition group, the Movement of Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA). Police reportedly raided his house and arrested him while he was talking by telephone to a live program on the Qatar-based al-Jazeera television station. He remained held in a Riyadh prison, reportedly without charge or trial. Three other people arrested with him also remained in detention at the end of the year.[*]Muhammad Rajkhan, a 33-year-old father of seven children, was arrested on 8 February near his house in Jeddah. He was reportedly held incommunicado in al-Mabahith al-"Amma (General Intelligence) in Riyadh and allegedly tortured (see below). He was said to have been transferred to al-Ruwais Prison in Jeddah where he remained held at the end of the year[/ul][/align]
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I guess it was a good thing that the demonstrators in Kevins article weren't immediately beheaded.
I'd like to know what happened to them after they returned home.
Make no mistake our ally saudi Arabia is one of the most repressive goverments in the world. It spawned Bin laden and most of the hijackers from 9/11 and will never become a true democracy. We will not try and force this on them either why, Oil.
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Country Reports on Human Rights Practices- 2000
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
February 23, 2001
Saudi Arabia is a monarchy without elected representative institutions or political parties. It is ruled by King Fahd Bin Abd Al-Aziz Al Saud, a son of King Abd Al-Aziz Al Saud, who unified the country in the early 20th century. Since the death of King Abd Al-Aziz, the King and Crown Prince have been chosen from among his sons, who themselves have had preponderant influence in the choice. A 1992 royal decree reserves for the King exclusive power to name the Crown Prince. Crown Prince Abdullah has played an increasing role in governance since King Fahd suffered a stroke in 1995. The Government has declared the Islamic holy book the Koran, and the Sunna (tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad, to be the country's Constitution. The Government bases its legitimacy on governance according to the precepts of a rigorously conservative form of Islam. Neither the Government nor society in general accepts the concept of separation of religion and state. The Government prohibits the establishment of political parties and suppresses opposition views. In 1992 King Fahd appointed a Consultative Council, or Majlis Ash-Shura, and similar provincial assemblies. The Majlis, a strictly advisory body, began holding sessions in 1993 and was expanded in 1997. The judiciary is generally independent but is subject to influence by the executive branch and members of the royal family.
Police and border forces under the Ministry of Interior are responsible for internal security. The Mutawwa'in, or religious police, constitute the Committee to Prevent Vice and Promote Virtue, a semiautonomous agency that enforces adherence to Islamic norms by monitoring public behavior. The Government maintains general control
Especially this part.
The Mutawwa'in continued to intimidate, abuse, and detain citizens and foreigners of both sexes (see Sections 1.d., 1.f., and 2.c.).
The Government punishes criminals according to its interpretation of Shari'a (Islamic law). Punishments include flogging, amputation, and execution by beheading, stoning, or firing squad. The authorities acknowledged 120 executions during the year, an increase from 100 in 1999. Executions included 62 persons convicted of murder, 21 convicted of narcotics-related offenses, 22 convicted of rape, and 10 convicted of armed robbery. The executions also included two women for murder and three for drug trafficking. The men were executed by beheading and the women were executed by firing squad. The government of Nigeria criticized Saudi Arabia for the execution of seven Nigerians convicted of bank robbery. In accordance with Shari'a, the authorities may punish repeated thievery by amputation of the right hand. There were 27 reports of amputations, including 7 reports of multiple amputations (right hand, left leg) for the crime of highway robbery during the year. Persons convicted of less serious offenses, such as alcohol-related offenses or being alone in the company of an unrelated person of the opposite sex, sometimes were punished by flogging with a cane.
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Maybe George is starting to learn about democarcy from Saudi Arabia.
. Arbitrary Interference With Privacy, Family, Home, or
Correspondence
The Government infringes on these rights. The sanctity of family life and the inviolability of the home are among the most fundamental of Islamic precepts. Royal decrees announced in 1992 include provisions calling for the Government to defend the home from unlawful intrusions, while laws and regulations prohibit officials from intercepting mail and electronic communication except when necessary during criminal investigations. Nonetheless, there are few procedural safeguards against government interference with one's privacy, family, home, or correspondence.
The police generally must demonstrate reasonable cause and obtain permission from the provincial governor before searching a private home; however, warrants are not required.
Customs officials routinely open mail and shipments to search for contraband, including material deemed pornographic and non-Muslim religious material. Customs officials confiscated or censored materials considered offensive, including Christian Bibles and religious videotapes (see Section 2.c.). The authorities also open mail and use informants and wiretaps in internal security and criminal matters. Security forces used wiretaps against foreigners suspected of alcohol-related offenses. Informants (know as "mukhbir") and ward bosses (known as "umdas") report "seditious ideas" or antigovernment activity in their neighborhoods to the Ministry of the Interior.
The Government enforces most social and Islamic religious norms, which are matters of law (see Section 5). Women may not marry noncitizens without government permission; men must obtain approval from the Ministry of Interior to marry women from countries outside the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. In accordance with Shari'a, women are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims; men may marry Christians and Jews, as well as Muslims.
Mutawwa'in practices and incidents of abuse varied widely in different regions of the country but were most numerous in the central Nejd region. In certain areas, both the Mutawwa'in and religious vigilantes acting on their own harassed, assaulted, battered, arrested, and detained citizens and foreigners (see Section 1.d.). The Government requires the Mutawwa'in to follow established procedures and to offer instruction in a polite manner; however, Mutawwa'in did not always comply with the requirements. The Government has not criticized publicly abuses by Mutawwa'in and religious vigilantes but has sought to curtail such abuses.
Mutawwa'in enforcement of strict standards of social behavior included the closing of commercial establishments during the five daily prayer observances, insisting upon compliance with strict norms of public dress, and dispersing gatherings of women in public places. Mutawwa'in frequently reproached citizen and foreign women for failure to observe strict dress codes, and arrested men and women found together who were not married or closely related.
Some professors believe that informers monitor comments made in university classrooms (see Section 2.a.).
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Don't worry they are our ally, just like Bin Laden was, and Hussein.
Ignore the fact they also raised money for the suicde bombers,the Royal family had a telethon for them. The Royal family has also funneled money into terro groups and payed off Al Queda.
They are as bad as anyone over there but we hold hands and walk through the garden with them.
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Has anyone ever called Saudi Arabia a democracy? I can't recall anyone ever claiming that. An ally? Yes. One of our few allies in the region. I guess we should turn the cold shoulder to them, eh? That would only help our situation, right?
Yes! Saudi Arabia sponsors terrorismwith $$. Saudi business men have funded Al Qeida for years. Bin Laden is Saudi and most of his funding came from Saudis sympathetic to his cause.Common knowledge before and after 9-11.
Talk about dodging!!! Does the Saudi government currently have policies sponsoring terrorism. That's important, because when you use military action against a country, it's their government that you're fighting. Not the people.
If you advocate invading a country because of what it's citizens are doing, then we should invade ourselves. After all, those Saudi businessmen would be poor nomads if not for our American dollars that have enriched them over the years. Follow your logic, then you could say that you and I, since we use petroleum products, sponsor terrorism as well.
You call this Democracy?????????
