US backs Saudi, Bahraini, ‘friends’ in use of illegal detention to crush Democracy, Rights Movments

US Remains Silent As Saudi Government Prosecutes Prominent Human Rights Activists
21 March, 2013 – Janessa Schilmoeller

NAMIBIA – (MintPress) – The harsh sentencing of two prominent human rights activists in Saudi Arabia earlier this month landed between visits from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, both of whom unsurprisingly failed to advocate for the release of the activists or criticize the kingdom for its lack of tolerance for political dissent.

Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid bin Ali al Hamid, 66, and Mohammad bin Fahad bin Muflih al-Qahtani, 47, co-founders of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), were sentenced to five and 10 years in prison, respectively, on charges including: founding an unlicensed human rights organization, seeking to disrupt security and inciting disorder, undermining national unity, breaking allegiance to the ruler, disobeying the ruler and questioning the integrity of officials.

No one was surprised that the activists were found guilty in a monarchy that is known for its brutal intolerance toward political dissent; however, human rights activists and international watchdog organizations were nonetheless outraged at the government’s actions and surprised by the length of the sentences.

“This is simply an outrageous case, which shows the extreme Saudi authorities are prepared to go to silence moderate advocates of reform and greater respect for human rights,” said Eric Goldstein, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch.

Al-Hamid and Al-Qahtani received their verdict on March 9 after more than eight months of trial that began last June. The reading of the verdict by presiding judge Hammad al-Omar took more than an hour to complete. Al-Hamid interrupted the reading to accuse the judge of turning the verdict into a “political statement.”

Each activist will face a five- to 10-year travel ban after being released from prison. The judge also ordered ACPRA, the organization that supports families of detainees held without charge or trial, to be dissolved through the confiscation of its property and the removal of its websites and social media accounts.

“The sentencing of Dr Abdullah al-Hamid and Muhammad al-Qahtani puts into stark relief the Saudi Arabian authorities’ inability to deal with any opinion that contradicts their own,” said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa director at Amnesty International.

“We consider that the two human rights activists have been imprisoned solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association and are therefore prisoners of conscience who should be released immediately and unconditionally,” Luther added. …more