Saudi Arabia: Facebook Briefly Banned After Having “Crossed a Line”
November 15th, 2010 by Anna
On Saturday, a Saudi official announced that Facebook would be blocked for not conforming with the government’s conservative values. According to the Associated Press, the official claimed that Facebook had “crossed a line.” The ban, however, was temporary. Yesterday, a spokesman for the Communications and Information Technology Commission denied having blocked the site, calling the access problems an “accidental” glitch, and the site is now operational again.
Posted in Saudi Arabia, Technology | Comment »
Lebanon: Tensions Over the STL Continue to Build
November 9th, 2010 by Jason
Sami Moubayed writes at the Asia Times Online that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has pushed Lebanon to the “verge of a major explosion.” According to Moubayed, Hezbollah has been attempting to block the tribunal by removing the “state financing of the United Nations-backed court in parliament, claiming it had become politicized.” Saudi Arabia, an ally of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, has also been working to stall the STL using “its heavyweight influence in the world community to secure a postponement of the indictments until next March.” The legality of the STL has been questioned as well, an issue that recently reemerged when Italian judge Antonio Cassese, President of the STL, said that “in his capacity as a law professor and not as president of the tribunal, he acknowledges that the agreement to establish the STL was not concluded in compliance with the Lebanese Constitution,” but that the Lebanese government’s staffing of the tribunal means that it is nevertheless “bound by the agreement.”
Posted in Hezbollah, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Iraq: Mixed Reactions to Saudi Offer for Talks
November 1st, 2010 by Anna
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah offered to host talks in Riyadh between the leaders of Iraq’s main political factions. The talks, which would be under the Arab League’s auspices, would take place at the end of this month. The reactions to the offer were mixed. The Iraqiya party welcomed the initiative and called on other political blocs to take part. The National Alliance turned down the offer, expressing confidence that the political stalemate could be resolved in Baghdad without outside “interference.” The Kurdish bloc also reportedly rejected the offer, contending that King Abdullah’s involvement would only complicate the problem. Outside Iraq, the Arab League’s Secretary General Amr Moussa seemed to welcome the idea, and Egypt likewise expressed support for the initiative and urged Iraqi politicians to make the necessary compromises in order to end the political impasse.
Posted in Arab League, Iraq, Political Parties, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
HRW Documents Human Rights Abuses in Morocco, Saudi Arabia
October 26th, 2010 by Evan
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released two reports this week documenting human rights abuses in Morocco and Saudi Arabia. According to HRW, the Moroccan authorities routinely detain and abuse suspects arrested under counter-terrorism statutes. Such treatment continues despite legislation adopted in Morocco to protect the rights of detainees. In Saudi Arabia, HRW called on King Abdullah and Interior Minister Prince Naif to halt the scheduled execution of Rizana Nafeek, a Sri Lankan housekeeper who was convicted of killing a 4-month old baby when she was 17.
Posted in Human Rights, Morocco, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Egypt: The Power of Statistics
October 25th, 2010 by Jason
Writing at The Guardian’s Comment is Free, Brian Whitaker takes Egypt to task for its failure to report basic statistics about its economy: “Imagine trying to govern a country that lacks adequate statistics about economic activity, healthcare, crime, education, urban development and environmental pollution. Imagine a country that relies heavily on tourism but has no figures showing why people visit or what they think of their stay. Imagine a country that relies heavily on agriculture, and yet has produced no data on the quality of cultivable land since the 1970s.” Whitaker cites a recent report by the Egyptian government that exposes the lack of reliable information on a number of issues. The selective usage of statistics by governments to control perceptions about their country is common throughout the world. Whitaker lists Lebanon’s failure to conduct a census since 1932, the lack of data on the number of Coptic Christians in Egypt, and the sensitivity of regimes in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan to opinion polling as examples of the power of statistics.
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Freedom, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Christians Face Oppression in the Gulf
October 8th, 2010 by Anna
A Reuters report today focuses on the difficulties Christians in the Arab Gulf states face in practicing their religion. The region is home to at least 3.5 million Christians, mostly Catholics from the Philippines and India. Gulf governments often restrict their ability to worship by limiting access to space and arresting Christians for allegedly proselytizing. In Saudi Arabia, control is especially tight – Christians often hold services in diplomats’ homes or hotel conference rooms. There has been some slow progress: Ibrahim al-Mugaiteb, head of the Saudi-based First Human Rights Society points out that “[t]en years ago a Saudi who said he was a Christian would have had his head cut off,” adding “[t]he problem is not the government, but the religious police.”
Posted in Freedom, Gulf, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Continued Challenges to Internet Freedom
October 7th, 2010 by Jason
Repressive regimes in the Middle East continue to find ways to control the flow of information in their countries. Al-Masry Al-Youm reports that the Mutaween, or religious police, in Saudi Arabia are now monitoring “social internet networks like Facebook, Twitter, and chat rooms.” There is even a program at King Abdul Aziz University that teaches the religious police how to use the applications in order to censor them. In Libya, the government has begun removing access to url shortening sites due to the “adult-friendly” nature of one of the services. Meanwhile, the Iranian government has accused Facebook and Twitter of being “hidden enemies” that are “tools used by Western intelligence agencies in order to recruit new members and gather data on individuals.”
Posted in Civil Society, Freedom, Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Technology | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: HRW Report “Five Years of King Abdullah’s Reforms”
September 28th, 2010 by Jason
Human Rights Watch has released a new report entitled “Looser Rein, Uncertain Gain: A Human Rights Assessment of Five Years of King Abdullah’s Reforms in Saudi Arabia.” The 57-page report looks at four key areas: women’s rights, freedom of expression, judicial fairness, and religious tolerance.
(To read the full summary, continue below.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Civil Society, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Journalism, Judiciary, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: Diplomat Seeks Asylum
September 13th, 2010 by Jason
A Saudi Arabian diplomat is asking for asylum in the U.S. after revelations concerning his homosexuality. Brian Whitaker writes that the Saudi government is “…torn between their desire to present a civilised image to the outside world and their need to appease religious traditionalists on the home front.” He adds that the Saudis “will probably be quietly grateful to the US if Asseri stays in Los Angeles.”
Posted in Civil Society, Freedom, Human Rights, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: Using Anti-Terror Law to Target Reformers
August 31st, 2010 by Evan
In the Wall Street Journal, Margaret Coker reports on Saudi Arabia’s use of anti-terror laws to persecute political reformers and human rights activists: “The government is using its security forces to silence a growing group of Saudi political activists seeking liberal reform inside the authoritarian kingdom. Saudis who simply hold political views different from those of their rulers have been arrested and detained as security suspects under the counter-terror efforts, according to human-rights advocates, family of the detained and U.S. officials.” One of the most prominent cases is that of the imprisonment of Suliman al-Reshoudi, a prominent activist and critic of the regime. Saudi officials imprisoned Reshoudi on charges that he financed terrorism and was a member of an illegal group. The Saudi activist’s case caught the attention of the U.S. State Department which cited the incident in its annual human rights report.
Posted in Human Rights, Judiciary, Legislation, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: Rare Public Protest
August 30th, 2010 by Evan
Reuters reports that 200 unemployed Saudi teachers staged a protest Sunday in front of the education ministry to demand jobs. Despite the country’s wealth, it has struggled to create employment opportunities for its burgeoning population. The article argues that the root of the issue is Saudi Arabia’s education system, which ”focuses more on religion than on the job skills needed to diversify an oil-based economy weighed down by a bloated public sector.” In recent years, King Abdullah’s attempts to push through reforms have been stymied by the religious elite who control much of the country’s education bureaucracy.
Posted in Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Morocco: Saudi Restrictions on Moroccan Woman an “Insult”
August 30th, 2010 by Anna
Nesrine Malik argues in The Guardian that Saudi Arabia “is failing in its Islamic duties” by banning (Arabic) some Moroccan women from undertaking the umra (the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca). According to Saudi authorities, women “of a certain age” might abuse their travel visas “for other purposes” while abroad. Malik claims that this is meant to reference the sex industry, which is stereotypically staffed by North African women. Suggesting that Moroccan women might use a religious ritual as a guise for engaging in illicit sexual activity is, in Malik’s view, a charge that “summarily insult[s] the [Moroccan] nation.” Rather than using national stereotypes that draw on the perception of Morocco as being morally lax to justify restrictions on some travelers, Malik asserts, the Saudi government should be facilitating pilgrimages to Mecca for all Muslims. Political parties in Morocco have reportedly called on the parliament to intervene.
Posted in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Women | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: One Form of Torture Over Another
August 23rd, 2010 by Farid
The Los Angeles Times’ Babylon & Beyond reports that a Saudi Arabian court is considering punishing a man accused of injuring another individual with a cleaver during a fight by ordering that his spinal cord be mutilated. The proposed punishment is so severe that international human rights organization Amnesty International is advocating for the suspect to be “methodically whipped or caned on his back” as an alternative. Amnesty also reports that the man was tried without a lawyer.
Posted in Human Rights, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Blackberry: Bans and Bargains
August 10th, 2010 by Jennifer
An official at the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission has confirmed that RIM, the Canadian-based maker of Blackberry technology, has struck an agreement with the Saudi Arabian government to allow a server inside the Gulf kingdom, effectively allowing the Saudi government to monitor messages sent over the Blackberry network. The two parties reached the agreement in order to avoid a potential Blackberry ban that was announced by Saudi Arabia late last week, citing fears that messages sent over the highly encrypted, closed network could pose a security threat. According to Abdullah al-Shihri writing for the Associated Press, the deal “could be setting a worldwide precedent for how technology companies and governments get along.”
Meanwhile, a number of other Arab governments debated their position on use of the technology. Lebanese officials expressed their interest in potentially pursuing a deal, with chief of Lebanon’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority Imad Hoballah stating, “RIM has made concessions to the U.S., the UK, Russia and eventually they have to give in to some of the countries depending on the business propositions made. We would be happy with whatever information they have made available to the U.S.” An official source in Algeria predicted that “Ending the BlackBerry service in Algeria is very likely,” as Telecommunications Minister Moussa Benhamadi announced that his government is “looking at the issue. If we find out that it is a danger for our economy and our security, we will stop it.” On the other hand, Bahrain’s foreign minister, Sheik Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, said that his country does not intend to issue a ban, stating, “We’re not saying there is no security concern,’’ but adding that “there are many other ways for the criminals or terrorists to communicate, so we decided we might as well live with it.’’ Additionally, an official source at the Egyptian National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority denied that security forces have put forward any requests for a ban on Blackberry services in Egypt, adding that no evidence exists that Blackberry networks have been used for criminal activity in that country. Kuwait indicated a more cautious stance toward the issue, with its Communications Minister, Mohammad al-Busairi, commenting that “as of right now, we in Kuwait have no intention to stop the BlackBerry services… but at the same time we are following up on direct and indirect negotiations with the company and with fellow Gulf states.”
Posted in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Freedom, Gulf, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Technology, UAE | 1 Comment »
Secretary Clinton: Blackberry Ban and “Right of Free Use and Access”
August 6th, 2010 by Jennifer
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commented (view video of statements here) on the UAE’s recent announcement that it will ban Blackberry services in October due to security concerns over the phone’s encrypted network, indicating that the U.S. is engaging in talks with the UAE over the decision. Secretary Clinton did not express explicit condemnation of the decision, but offered a qualified response, stating that the matter “involves a very complex set of issues that we’re working on with other countries as well,” and adding, “We are taking time to consult and analyze the full range of interests and issues at stake because we know that there is a legitimate security concern, but there’s also a legitimate right of free use and access.” Secretary Clinton did not touch on Saudi Arabia’s follow-up decision to implement a ban on Blackberry text messaging today, which sparked a wave of selling as Blackberry owners attempted to cut their losses in advance of the ban.
Posted in Freedom, Saudi Arabia, Technology, UAE, US foreign policy | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: Blackberry Ban Goes Viral
August 5th, 2010 by Jennifer
Saudi Arabia has indicated its intention to ban Blackberry mobile technology instant messaging this Friday, which will make it the first foreign government to implement a Blackberry ban. The decision follows an announcement earlier this week by the the UAE that it intends to ban Blackberry services in October unless Research in Motion (RIM), the device’s Canada-based maker, gives the government access to the Blackberry’s highly encrypted, closed system. The UAE cited security concerns, arguing that “first and foremost, this matter relates to the sovereignty of the state on its information as all ‘BlackBerry’ users from administrators, businessmen, and owners of companies need to keep their data and information within the state to preserve the confidentiality of information.” In a U.S. State Department daily press briefing on Monday, spokesman Philip J. Crowley indicated that the American administration was “disappointed” by the UAE’s announcement, calling the decision “a dangerous precedent” and characterizing free use of new technologies as “an important element of democracy, human rights, and freedom of information and the flow of information in the 21st century.” Crowley affirmed that the U.S. would be following up with the UAE on the issue. Estimates suggest that RIM could lose nearly 2 million of its 46 million worldwide customers should other countries follow the UAE and Saudi Arabia’s lead. Nevertheless, analysts predicted that the company will likely prove unwilling to concede, given recent comments by its founder, Mike Lazaridis, to the effect that RIM will refuse to “compromise” the trust of its customers by allowing foreign governments to monitor their communications.
Posted in Freedom, Saudi Arabia, Technology, UAE, US foreign policy | Comment »
UAE: BlackBerry Ban
August 2nd, 2010 by Jennifer
The UAE announced yesterday that it would suspend BlackBerry email and text messaging services starting in October, with statements from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority arguing that “‘certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns for the U.A.E.’.” The decision has sparked concerns that other Gulf nations– including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain –may follow up with their own bans. Saudi Telecom officials gave conflicting reports regarding whether Saudi Arabia had already decided to follow the UAE’s example, while the government did not release any official statement on the issue, and one adviser offered anonymous statements to the effect that no official determination had been made. Regimes in the region have indicated their concern over BlackBerry services, which use highly encrypted data to transfer messages on a closed internal system rather than over the open Internet, rendering surveillance of communications difficult. According to Barry Meier and Robert F. Worth writing in the New York Times, “The monitoring of information is a particularly thorny issue for autocratic regimes in the Persian Gulf worried that the Internet might be used for antigovernment purposes — a concern heightened by the passionate online response in Iran to the 2009 presidential election that helped energize the opposition and led to weeks of unrest.”
Posted in Freedom, Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Technology, UAE | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: Will Change Come?
July 30th, 2010 by Farid
Writing at the Arab Reform Bulletin, Neil Patrick argues that those seeking reform in Saudi Arabia “seem to be in a race against the clock,” adding that many in the Kingdom view the next two years as decisive for reform prospects. Patrick explains that reform, referred to by Saudis as a “change in environment,” has indeed “emerged in the last few years,” but cautions that a change in the “mood music” is not the same as institutional reform. In Saudi Arabia, reform has basically meant putting reformers behind “key desks” in ministries and public institutions, yet actual change in practice has not occurred, Patrick argues. Codification of laws or “anything resembling written law is pretty much uncharted territory in the Kingdom,” he says, and endowing the Majlis al-Shura, the quasi-parliament, with “any actual powers, [is] unlikely for now.”
Posted in Reform, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Lebanon: A Change in Course for Regional Stability?
July 30th, 2010 by Jennifer
Elias Muhanna writing at his blog Qifa Nabki suggests that the upcoming summit in Beirut on the issue of the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)—which will be attended by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi King Abdullah—indicates a shift in the March 14 coalition and Saudi Arabia’s approach toward Hezbollah, as well as toward regional actors backing Hezbollah, such as Syria and Iran. In light of recent comments by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah that the STL may issue an indictment against some elements of the organization, Muhanna argues that such a verdict “could thrust Lebanon into complete political paralysis and possible sectarian violence,” noting that Hezbollah may decide to withdraw its members from Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s cabinet if pressured and cripple the government, as it did in late 2006. Two or three years ago, Muhanna says, Hezbollah’s opponents “would have been very happy to use the indictments to try to push Hizbullah into a corner, furthering pressuring its regional sponsors in Damascus and Tehran”; the high-level meeting in Beirut reveals “a much more cautious policy of containment which recognizes the valuable political capital that may soon be delivered via an STL indictment against Hizbullah, but which also recognizes the folly of bearing down too hard on the Shiite party.”
Posted in Hezbollah, Lebanon, Political Parties, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Nations | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: Human Rights Activist Detained for “Annoying Others” with Criticism
July 21st, 2010 by Jennifer
Mekhlef bin Daham al Shammary, a prominent Saudi human rights activist who has been detained in Dammam general prison since his arrest on June 15, has been accused with allegedly “annoying others” by authoring online essays criticizing government officials and Saudi religious scholars. Ibrahim al Mugaiteeb, founder of the Dammam-based Human Rights First organization, said that al Shammary “is a prisoner for a crime that is not even defined” and called the charge a “very funny and obscure accusation.”Al Mugaiteeb, who says al Shammary has given him full powers of attorney to handle his case, argued that his client’s detention is illegal under Saudi law, which stipulates that anyone arrested must be brought before a judge within 24 hours. Human Rights Watch also issued a statement on the case, calling the charges “frivolous” and calling for al Shammary’s release. Saudi authorities are considering six online articles posted by al Shammary– catalogued at the HRW site –that level criticism at Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistanni, Saudi religious scholars, and the Saudi government.
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
