Saudi Arabia’s ongoing repression of freedom of expression

ANHRI condemns the ongoing stifling of freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia
Cairo, 18 October 2011

ANHRI condemns the ongoing suppression of freedom of expression and harassment of activists by the Saudi authorities. A few days prior to the trial of the activist Waleed Aboul-Khair for his pro-democracy and human rights demands, the Saudi authorities detained Feras Baqna, Hussam Al-Nasser, and Khaled Al-Rasheed, members of the team of the “Mal3ob 3lena” show, broadcast on YouTube.

The team had posted an episode on poverty in Saudi Arabia on 10 October 2011. Staff of the show went to Jaradiya in the city of Riyadh, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Saudi Arabia. The episode showed scenes of houses and children in the neighbourhood, visibly affected by poverty. It also highlighted that while 11 Saudi billionaires occupy advanced positions among the world’s rich according to Forbes, 20 percent of the Saudi population lives in poverty. In the span of five days, the video had over 500 000 views. The team of the show was summoned for investigation to a police station where they are being detained. They have not been released or brought to trial.

It is worth noting that a new hearing should be fixed for the case of the rights activist Walid Aboul-Khair whose trial started on 11 September. By the end of the first hearing, the judge refused to inform Aboul-Khair of the date of the next hearing. However, the second hearing is expected to take place in the next few days. Among Aboul-Khair’s charges are “offending the judiciary system and its employees”, “communicating with foreign entities”, and “turning public opinion against the public order of the country”, all of which are fabricated charges related to his opinions in support of reform. …more