Saudi Arabia releases Muslim clergy Mohsin al-Awaji
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 3/22/2006

The Saudi Arabian authorities on Tuesday released the Muslim scholar Mohsin al-Awaji after he was detained for 11 days on charge of directly criticizing members in the Saudi government.

The correspondents of Reporters Without Border and the Arab Organization For The Media extended last Thursday a message to the Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz in which they deplored the detention of Awaji. The organization called on the king to interfere and release him and re-open sites on the Internet closed over publishing his articles.

Just recently, the Saudi clergy wrote an article in which he criticized the advisor of the ruling family in Saudi Arabia. He stressed that there is one group he described as liberals, including ministers and officials, that are the genuine force in the country, and that they work behind the curtains through direct contact with the Saudi monarch to control the country.

Awaji was detained with scores of Islamists and writers during the 1990 for four years because of demands to introduce democratic reforms into the kingdom.

Direct criticism of the ruling family is considered a red line for the Saudi media which has become open towards hard controversy over political and economic reforms.

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