Saudi Terror Law would "strangle peaceful protest": Amnesty International

July 22, 2011: A secret new anti-terror law being drawn up by the Saudi authorities would "strangle peaceful protest", Amnesty International has said.

The BBC has been shown a classified copy of the draft law showing a number of measures Amnesty said would severely restrict human rights.

These include lengthy detention without trial, restricted legal access and increased use of the death penalty. But a Saudi official said it was directed at terrorists, not dissidents.

The Saudi government has so far declined to comment, but the senior official, who did not want to be named, confirmed the existence of the draft law and did not dispute the clauses contained in it.

"[The law] will give an open hand for the minister of the interior to do whatever he wants to do. Basically he will be controlling the judiciary, controlling the public prosecutor, he's in charge already of the prison system, and there is no way to get a fair trial," the head of the Saudi Civil Rights Association, Mohammad al-Qahtani, told the BBC.

Amnesty International's Middle East press officer James Lynch told the BBC the draft law - a copy of which was leaked to the human rights group - "seeks to entrench some of the most repressive practices that Amnesty has been documenting for years".

Among the measures proposed is a broadening of the definition of a terrorist crime to include any action deemed to be "harming the reputation of the state" or "endangering national unity".

Suspects could be held incommunicado for up to 120 days - longer if authorised by a court - and there would be restrictions on access to legal advice.

Violations of the law would carry harsh punishments, with the death penalty applied in cases of taking up arms against the state or for any "terrorist crimes" that resulted in death, said Amnesty.

Questioning the integrity of Saudi Arabia's rulers would become an offence punishable by a minimum of 10 years in prison.

Source: BBC, July 22, 2011

July 25, 2011 UPDATE

Amnesty International website ‘blocked in Saudi Arabia’

Access to Amnesty International’s website has been blocked in Saudi Arabia today following the organization’s criticism of a draft anti-terror law that would stifle peaceful protest in the kingdom.

Amnesty International published its analysis of a leaked copy of the draft law on Friday. The organization condemned the proposed law’s treatment of peaceful dissent as “terrorist crimes”, as well as the wide-ranging powers the Minister of Interior would hold, free from judicial authorization or oversight.

Several journalists and human rights activists based in Saudi Arabia independently confirmed that they were unable to access the www.amnesty.org website today.

“Instead of attacking those raising concerns and attempting to block debate, the Saudi Arabian government should amend the draft law to ensure that it does not muzzle dissent and deny basic rights,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director.

The Saudi Arabian Embassy in London released a statement on Saturday calling Amnesty International’s concerns about the law “baseless,” saying that the “suggestion that this draft law would be used to suppress dissent, rather than against terrorists, is wrong.”

The draft law allows for extended detention without charge or trial, fails to prohibit torture or other ill-treatment and would mean harsh penalties for peaceful acts of dissent.

It allows for a minimum 10-year prison sentence for “questioning the integrity” of the royal family. Other actions broadly defined as “terrorist crimes” carry a death sentence.

“Saudi Arabia’s blanket denials are at odds with the draft law’s contents,” said Malcolm Smart.

“The Saudi Arabian government is simply adding insult to injury by curtailing freedoms in the name of countering terrorism.”

Saudi Arabia’s consideration of the draft law comes amid months of pro-reform protests across the Middle East and North Africa.

Source: Amnesty International, July 25, 2011

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