One Arab organization speaks about hundreds of detainees in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 5/11/2004

Branch of the Arab human rights committee in Paris announced that some 600 Saudis are in prisons for political reasons.

This announcement was made after the Saudi Arabian authorities's detention of Mubarak, son of the Islamic scholar, detained Saeed Bin Zeer, for reasons pertinent to an intervention he had made in one of the Qatari TV al-Jazeera.

Bin Zeer, the father, spent 8.5 years in prison before he was released in 2003. Worthy mentioning that another son called Saaed is still detained since more than one year.

The lawyer in charge of defending those detainees Muhammad Abdul Aziz al-Suneidi said that the defendant team is composed of 7 lawyers.

He considered in a press statement that it is the right of the executive authority to direct accusation what so ever and that the state shoulders its responsibility before the judiciary which is considered the decisive element between the authority and the citizen.

Al-Suneidi described the chairman of the Arab human rights organization Dr. Haitham Manna as a politician rather than a Judicial side, questioning the source of his information on that there are 600 detainees in Saudi Arabia. He denied this news and called for inspecting the Saudi jails to make sure that those prisoners are not there.

He also regretted the sources of the information on the ground of which western sides criticize the issue of human rights in Saudi Arabia.

In Jeddah, some 200 Saudi students organized a march through the streets of the city yesterday ( Monday) chanting slogans against terrorism, while officials said that this is the first demonstration which is licensed by the authorities in the Kingdom.

The students who age between 12 and 18 year old chanted slogans calling for unifying the ranks in order to fight terrorism.

The Kingdom, however, bans gathering or demonstration being pro or against it. However, the officials said that yesterday's demonstration which was organized by four schools for the family members of the national guards was permitted by the authorities and that other marches will be also organized.

Saudi Arabia, however, is facing a wave of acts of violence of supporters of al-Qaida organization led by Osama Bin laden since May 2003 in which some 50 persons were killed including foreigners.

Previous Stories:
  Saudi crown prince: we will defeat advocates of hatred, Shoura council calls for increasing the freedom of expression   (4/2/2004)
  Saudi activists maintain solidarity with their colleagues; Sultan rules out electing a Shoura council   (3/23/2004)
  We held frank discussion on detentions; Powell: our relations with Riyadh are strong   (3/20/2004)
  Saudi Arabia to reconsider human rights violations   (3/16/2004)

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