July 22, 2011
Proposed Law Would Mandate Jail for Critics of Saudi King
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR
A proposed Saudi counterterrorism law that would give the Interior Ministry sweeping powers and mandate jail sentences for criticizing the king would effectively squelch political dissent, human rights advocates said on Thursday.
The law would allow prisoners to be held without trial, and trials and appeals to be held secretly, Saudi and international rights advocates said. It would also grant the Interior Ministry broad powers including the ability to tap telephones or search houses without permission from the judiciary.
Saudi activists have long accused the judicial system and the Interior Ministry of a lack of respect for human rights, even when such rights exist legally. The new law, the activists said, would legalize those practices, removing all restraints.
"Every single thing we criticized them about in the past is going to be legitimate," Bassem Alim, the defense lawyer for a group of men imprisoned in 2007 on terrorism charges, said by telephone. The men were formally charged only last August, and their real crime, Mr. Alim said, was taking rudimentary steps toward forming a political party.
"Ninety-nine percent of the law has nothing to do with terrorism, it has to do with political dissent," he said.
Proposals to revamp the terrorism laws have been considered since 2003, but the draft law had been sitting on the shelf, activists said. It has been revived now to combat any outbreaks of the kind of antigovernment movements that are challenging Arab governments across the region, they said.
Brig. Gen. Mansour Turki, the Interior Ministry spokesman, said via e-mail that he had no comment on the draft law. It is under consideration by the Consultative Council, a government-appointed board that rarely challenges the monarchy.
Critics said the law's definitions of terrorist crimes are vague enough to encompass all manner of activity. It uses broad terms like "harming the reputation of the state," for example, according to a translation provided by Amnesty International.
It also mandates a 10-year jail sentence for anyone who declares the king or the crown prince an infidel, a favorite tactic extremist Muslim organizations use to undermine the monarchy. The law would apply the same punishment to anyone who questioned the integrity or honesty of the two men.
"They are not making clear why questioning the integrity of the king is a security matter," said Dina el-Mamoun, a Saudi specialist at Amnesty International.
Some activists view the law as an attempt by Prince Nayef, the longtime interior minister, to consolidate his power and that of his son, Prince Mohammed, who runs counterterrorism operations.
"There should be some guarantees for basic human rights," said Mohammad F. al-Qahtani, head of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association. "None are mentioned in the law."