الرئيسية
By Isabel Coles, Reuters
DUBAI, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Amnesty International described the
state of freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia as dire on Thursday,
saying a proposed anti-terror law would make matters worse by
reinforcing "draconian and abusive" measures in the world's biggest oil
exporter.
Saudi Arabia has been spared the popular uprisings seen
elsewhere in the region this year, but not without launching a new wave
of repression in the name of security, the rights group said in a
report released on Thursday.
Amnesty said the draft anti-terror
law, a copy of which was leaked to the group earlier this year,
indicated peaceful acts of dissent could in future be prosecuted as a
"terrorist crime".
"The formulation of a new anti-terror law is
another apparent sign of the authorities' to use the law to silence
dissent," said Amnesty, adding the law would allow the kingdom to detain
security suspects indefinitely and without trial.
Amnesty
criticised the kingdom's "vague and broad" definitions of terrorism,
ranging from "destabilising society" to "harming the reputation of the
state".
"This opaqueness could be exploited to charge peaceful
meetings of a group of people who make political demands or even engage
in academic discussions with a "terrorist crime" under this draft law.
Saudi
Arabia, an absolute monarchy, has no written criminal code, which is
instead based on an uncodified form of Islamic Sharia law as interpreted
by the country's judges.
Calling on Saudi authorities to
immediately release all prisoners of conscience, Amnesty denounced as
"extremely weak" the kingdom's institutional framework for protection of
human rights.
Detainees are sometimes held for months without
trial or access to a lawyer, Amnesty said, with confessions extracted
under duress: from beatings with sticks to punching, suspension from the
ceiling by the ankles or wrists and sleep deprivation.
Amnesty
said when cases were brought to trial, the proceedings were often held
behind closed doors and failed to meet international standards of
fairness and transparency.
Earlier this year, an unknown group of
Saudi activists urged people to take to the streets to demand the
release of political prisoners, a fully independent judiciary, a minimum
wage and greater freedom of expression.
That was met with a
statement from the country's interior ministry, reminding citizens
demonstrations were banned and it would take "all necessary measures"
against those seeking to "disrupt order".
Only one person,
40-year-old teacher Khaled al-Johani, defied the warning and was quickly
arrested. He is still in detention, according to Amnesty.
The
group also mentioned protests by Saudi Arabia's Shi'ite Muslim minority
in the oil-rich Eastern Province, but said it did not have enough
details to conclude whether security forces had used excessive force in
response to what appeared to be violent acts on the part of some
demonstrators.
DUBAI, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Amnesty International described the
state of freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia as dire on Thursday,
saying a proposed anti-terror law would make matters worse by
reinforcing "draconian and abusive" measures in the world's biggest oil
exporter.
Saudi Arabia has been spared the popular uprisings seen
elsewhere in the region this year, but not without launching a new wave
of repression in the name of security, the rights group said in a
report released on Thursday.
Amnesty said the draft anti-terror
law, a copy of which was leaked to the group earlier this year,
indicated peaceful acts of dissent could in future be prosecuted as a
"terrorist crime".
"The formulation of a new anti-terror law is
another apparent sign of the authorities' to use the law to silence
dissent," said Amnesty, adding the law would allow the kingdom to detain
security suspects indefinitely and without trial.
Amnesty
criticised the kingdom's "vague and broad" definitions of terrorism,
ranging from "destabilising society" to "harming the reputation of the
state".
"This opaqueness could be exploited to charge peaceful
meetings of a group of people who make political demands or even engage
in academic discussions with a "terrorist crime" under this draft law.
Saudi
Arabia, an absolute monarchy, has no written criminal code, which is
instead based on an uncodified form of Islamic Sharia law as interpreted
by the country's judges.
Calling on Saudi authorities to
immediately release all prisoners of conscience, Amnesty denounced as
"extremely weak" the kingdom's institutional framework for protection of
human rights.
Detainees are sometimes held for months without
trial or access to a lawyer, Amnesty said, with confessions extracted
under duress: from beatings with sticks to punching, suspension from the
ceiling by the ankles or wrists and sleep deprivation.
Amnesty
said when cases were brought to trial, the proceedings were often held
behind closed doors and failed to meet international standards of
fairness and transparency.
Earlier this year, an unknown group of
Saudi activists urged people to take to the streets to demand the
release of political prisoners, a fully independent judiciary, a minimum
wage and greater freedom of expression.
That was met with a
statement from the country's interior ministry, reminding citizens
demonstrations were banned and it would take "all necessary measures"
against those seeking to "disrupt order".
Only one person,
40-year-old teacher Khaled al-Johani, defied the warning and was quickly
arrested. He is still in detention, according to Amnesty.
The
group also mentioned protests by Saudi Arabia's Shi'ite Muslim minority
in the oil-rich Eastern Province, but said it did not have enough
details to conclude whether security forces had used excessive force in
response to what appeared to be violent acts on the part of some
demonstrators.