Another activist, jailed for a year without charges.

Now it isn't clear exactly what this man has done -- but it does seem to violate Saudi Arabia's own laws.

A prominent Saudi political activist and academic remains in solitary confinement "without charge and without access to counsel" a year after he was arrested, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Saud Mokhtar al-Hashemi, 45, was among 10 men arrested last February and accused of illegally collecting funds and sending fighters to Iraq. His lawyer and supporters say the detentions were a government attempt to silence demands for democratic reform in Saudi Arabia.

"This prolonged detention without charge and without access to counsel is illegal and in violation of the country's rules," the lawyer, Bassim Alim, said in an interview. "It is as if there is emergency law. If there is proof against them, it should be presented."

In Saudi Arabia, detainees have a right to counsel and public trials and can be held up to six months without charge. An Interior Ministry spokesman, Gen. Mansour al-Turki, said the men remained behind bars because the case is "still under investigation."

Now if Hashemi is guilty of those things of which he is suspected, I have a problem with his actions. Indeed, I believe those actions are probably illegal and worthy of punishment -- if he is, in fact guilty of them. But a full year of detention without any access to counsel or charges is pretty excessive -- and certainly is more shocking to the conscience than the weight-gain and medical treatment camps for actual terrorists at Gitmo. Where are the outcries of human rights activists in this country to this much more offensive situation? No doubt they are being "sulturally sensitive" in their refusal to protest real human rights violations.

By the way, this case is connected with that of Foaud al-Farhan, who I wrote about earlier. His offense seems to be calling for the Saudi government to follow its own laws in this case, though he also has been held incommunicado with no attorney or charges.

You can contact the Saudis about this case.

Ambassador Adel A. Al-Jubeir
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037

You may also call the Embassy at (202) 342-3800.

There is also a contact form on the Embassy's website.

Posted by: Greg at 11:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 396 words, total size 3 kb.