ACPRA Condemns MOI’s Arrest of Professor Al-Abdulkareem
A Press Release For Immediate Actions
About The Arrest of Professor Mohammed Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim, A Known Human Rights Activist in Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Monday, December 6, 2010.
The Directorate of General Investigation (DGI, the Ministry of Interior) arrested Professor Mohammed Abdullah Al-Abdulkareem in Riyadh at noon on Sunday, December 5 2010. Professor Al-Abdulkareem is a member of the Human Rights Commission (HRC), the editor-in-chief of the Nation Congress Journal, a member of the Arab Organization for Human Rights, and Professor of Jurisprudence, Faculty of Islamic Jurisprudence, Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.
The arrest came after he’s written a bold article: “the crisis of political conflict among the Saudi royal family factions,” published on his Facebook page two weeks ago. In his article, Professor Al-Abdulkareem reviewed the succession problem and the mechanism of transfer of power in Saudi Arabia, which raised large-scale local and international responses and reactions.
That article Prompted Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University administration to conduct an investigation, by interrogating Dr. Al-Abdulkareem about the article, a procedure which offended the integrity of this academic institution, which has turned into a mere “another investigation office that belongs to the Ministry of Interior.” The university violated basic academic customary laws and regulations, deviating from its academic goals.
ACPRA condemns this disgraceful arrest that adds another black spot to the Ministry of Interior’s already bad records, especially in the area of human rights violations. This action taken by MOI against a peaceful figure like Professor Al-Abdulkareem reflects the reality of media freedoms and treatments of intellectuals, activists, and reformers. ACPRA takes this opportunity to affirm its condemnation of the authoritarian police mentality that dominates the Ministry of Interior and its violent practices vis-a’-vis peaceful political reformers and human rights activists.
The stifling of channels of freedom of peaceful expression is responsible for strangulation of the social lung, poisoning the atmosphere, and causing inflation in violent activities in the country. The Saudi security agencies still announce arrests of alleged perpetrators of violence, in a complete absence of procedures guaranteed by international and local law. Therefore, ACPRA puts the full blame on the Ministry of Interior for the increase in violence in Saudi Arabia.
Once again, ACPRA condemns the arrest of Professor Mohammed Al-Abdulkareem, and MOI must adhere to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law and international human rights conventions, which guarantee access to attorney services, visitations, interrogation by the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, and ensuring all of his statutory rights. The Saudi authority must stop these abuses that continue to slap the face of the country and its citizens. These awful practices taint our national dignity which should not be violated by any institution, government agency, or individual regardless to positions.
ACPRA demands all local and international human rights organizations, media and human rights activists to take their historical responsibilities in condemning and incriminating all human rights violations by all organs of repressive security agencies. Furthermore, ACPRA renews its call for a public sit-in to demand fundamental rights, and ask the public to participate actively in the event to be held on Thursday, December 23 2010, to stop such practices.
The Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association.
(ACPRA)
The abduction of Professor Mohammed Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim by Prince Naif’s men (December 5, 2010) because of a constructive article he wrote and published on his facebook shows that what he said in his polite and harmless article is true about the palace fights’ crippling impact on the country, its people, economy, safety, education and unity. The arrest also shows that there is no central government, but mini opposing governments. King Abdullah’s government encourages people to speak up about social and bureaucratic ills and when they do, Prince Naif’s and his religious police governments puts them in prison.
Incidentally, who rules Saudi Arabia today?
Professor Al-Abdulkarim should have been debated publicly instead of punished for trying to alert the government of what the majority of Saudi people already knows and feels about their dysfunctional system. The Saudi people are not stupid. They know the system is weak, irresponsive and will collapse under its weight if Naif continues to punish patriotic citizens who have the courage to say what’s best for their disenfranchised compatriots and mismanaged country.
In democratic and advanced societies, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim would have been invited to talk shows to elaborate on his analysis and be challenged if he erred in presenting the truth. The same thing would have been applied to Mr. Dham Al-Shammari, Shaikh Al-Reshudi and many others. The Saudi people could have benefited from their public debates instead of Prince Naif’s methods of throwing the best and the brightest in dungeons to scare others from speaking up and pointing out the shortcomings of their government and its stagnant institutions.
The arrest of innocent and contributing citizens for writing factual accounts of what’s happening in their country shows that the ruling men are paranoid, unstable, don’t trust their people and continue to present a false picture of what the system is not.
It’s time for the enlightened men and women in the royal family and its long arms, the religious establishment, to reject the old and failed methods of governing and join their brothers and sisters who care about their country and are willing to pay the price for their commitment to justice, civility, accountability, transparency and public participation in determining their destiny and the fate of their important, but badly led country.
Saudi Arabia is faced with unprecedented internal and external deadly threats and unless drastic democratic measures (especially freedom of expression and worship) are institutionalized, not decreed, and implemented in a timely manner, things will continue to worsen which will bring in external powers to make sure the oil continue to flow uninterruptedly. The country needs new technocrats, professionals, tolerant, enlightened and non-sectarian leadership to veer it away from its present dangerous path.
Release Professor Mohammed Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim and the other civic and visionary men and women who languish in Naif’s prisons, barred from writing and banned from contributing to the building of their wealthy, but lagging country.