Prominent Saudi blogger arrested
CPB has just alerted its readers that Saudi blogger Fouad Al Farhan has been arrested since the 11th of December.
This article (Arabic) reads that his office in Jeddah was stormed into and he was arrested without any clarification. He is a known blogger who writes about justice, freedom, equality, et al. Apparently he has been harassed several times before, which once led to his blog being shut down. These past few weeks he has been very active, and his last post dates December 7th, where he expresses his admiration for a certain journalist.
Fouad is really an admirable and respectful gentleman. He always seemed very careful, so I never expected something like this to happen to him! I just hope that his arrest will be brief. He doesn’t deserve this! Please spread the word and keep him in your prayers.
Edit: Saudi-American blogger Rasheed Abou-Alsamh of Arab News adds his opinion:
I just hope that Fuad will be released soon and allowed to blog again. The wave of greater accountability, more transparency and allowing the citizenry of Saudi Arabia a higher voice in how our country is run is the ongoing legacy of King Abdullah’s reformist agenda. I hope that this will be allowed to continue. Arresting reformists and bloggers does not help the cause of reform in the Kingdom, and just serves to bring us back to those dreaded old days when everyone was too afraid to say in public what they really felt. I and many other Saudis like me had thought that those days were long gone. I hope we’re right.
Link to entry.
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Oh, damn. Three weeks now: is there a limit on how long he can be held without being officially charged? Does he have a family?
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He has this wonderful smile, I hope he will be freed very soon. Countries in the East should get used to the fact that blogs are where people talk and if people are going to be arrested for that, every two seconds thousands of people should be arrested. People cannot be arrsted merely for talking, noowadays people talk virtually. Fuad, be well you are going to be out any moment, I hope.
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I’m completely furious.. Under what right do we hold another man captive of his own words? when the wrong “do’ers” are loose prancing around us??
This is nonesense, and i never thought we’d reach this limit..
I read his blogs, and i don’t think he ever traspassed on anybody else’s freedom more than expressing his own mere opinion about the people that he personally got to know and meet..
So now i can’t criticize anyone official? That’s stupid, cause i’ll stay more silent than i try to be.. And the personalities he picked up are really corrupt, no doubt about it.. He is indeed brave, and god knows his intentions and he will never forget about him.. I will never forget about him..
Stay strong Fouad..
Yours,
Lou..
OMG!! he was in for more than 10days.. n no one was told?? Wht would his family have gone thru on Eid? We need to reform tht.. but wait!.. the corrupt officials are making arrests of the people who inform the public abt the need for them. He has guts and now he is standing up for wht he believes in. Maybe this will b damaging for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia like the Qatif Girl story was.. :S just wht we needed
lets hope tht its covered in the traditional media with in Saudi Arabia
Hang in there man
But she was pardoned due to international pressure and support. Saudi was facing diplomatic problems because of it, so this is why going beyond the local community is crucial.
I hope the campaign to free him will succeed.
Yes: the more widespread the outrage, the better. People tend to restrain their excesses when in the public eye.
“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” John 3:20
But a light can be shone upon them.
This group of FB grew from 33 last time I checked to 201 while posting
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8297166642
ganna b 202 when I join!
People’s awareness on this issue in Saudi is rising very slowly.. Apparently, the capture of a Saudi blogger isn’t interesting enough for Al Ekhbaria and Al Arabiya to talk about in their channels.. Why do i feel there’s a media blackout on this?
But still, people are now gathering for the purpose that he didn’t do anything against Islam, nor against the Monarchy, more than expressing his opinion on “powerful” government officials and personalities.. But that doesn’t deny him his right to speak of his mind..
He was captured before Eid? that’s just awful.. He has two kids and a wife for god’s sake..
…
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