Sunday, December 29, 2013

Why won't the west call out Saudi Arabia for persecution of democratic activists?

At the memorial for Nelson Mandela, President Barack Obama eulogized the fallen leader:

Like Gandhi, he would lead a resistance movement – a movement that at its start held little prospect of success. Like [Martin Luther] King, he would give potent voice to the claims of the oppressed.

Listening in the crowd sat Prince Murqin bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's second deputy prime minister. Apparently the words were lost on the government His Royal Highness was representing (though it's questionable he even relayed the message), because within the next week, a Saudi judge sentenced democratic activist Omar al-Saeed to 4 years in prison and 300 lashes. His crime: calling for a constitutional monarchy (a government that would likely outlaw such cruel and unusual punishment).

Saeed is a member of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (Acpra), an organization documenting human rights abuses and calling for democratic reform. He is its fourth member to be sentenced to prison this year. In March, co-founders Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani (who I have met in the past, and previously wrote about) and Abdullah al-Hamid were sentenced to prison terms of 10 and 5 years on charges such as "breaking allegiance with the ruler" and running an unlicensed political organization – despite repeated attempts to obtain a license. Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Saudi activists silenced and the U.S. is silent...
  2. Saudi activist faces new execution threat...
  3. Saudi Arabia sentences secular activist to 600 lashes, seven years prison...
  4. Saudi Arabia's tyrannical death state...
  5. Saudi prince defects: 'Brutality, oppression as govt scared of Arab revolts'
  6. Saudi Arabia police open fire on civilians as protests spread...
  7. " It is not easy to be an activist in Saudi Arabia"

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