Saudi Arabia seeks death penalty for female rights activist: campaigners

[HAIDER]

Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has sought the death penalty against five human rights activists, including a prominent female rights defender, campaigners said on Wednesday.

Among those accused of inciting protests by the Shia Muslim minority in the oil-rich Eastern Province is Israa al-Ghomgham, the first female activist to possibly face the death penalty for her rights-related work.

“Israa al-Ghomgham and four other individuals are now facing the most appalling possible punishment simply for their involvement in anti-government protests,” said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns.

“We are urging the Saudi Arabian authorities to drop these plans immediately.”

Saudi government officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ghomgham, a prominent Shia activist who documented mass demonstrations in the Eastern Province starting in 2011, was arrested at her home along with her husband in December 2015, according to Human Rights Watch.

“Sentencing Israa al-Ghomgham to death would send a horrifying message that other activists could be targeted in the same way for their peaceful protest and human rights activism,” Hadid said.

“The charges against Ghomgham... are absurd and clearly politically motivated to silence dissent.”

Amnesty says at least 12 other leading human rights activists, including eight women, have been arrested in the kingdom since May — just before the kingdom ended its ban on women drivers.

Many of them long opposed the decades-long ban and resisted the system of male “guardians” — fathers, husbands or other relatives, whose permission is required to travel or get married.

The ultra-conservative kingdom has one of the world's highest rates of execution, with suspects convicted of terrorism, homicide, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking facing the death penalty.

Rights experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the fairness of trials in the kingdom, an absolute monarchy governed under a strict form of Islamic law. The government says the death penalty is a deterrent for further crime.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1428609/s...enalty-for-female-rights-activist-campaigners

‘Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like Israa al-Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behaviour, is monstrous’

Executions in Saudi Arabia are typically carried out by beheading with a sword.

“Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like Israa al-Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behaviour, is monstrous,” Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW, said in a statement on Wednesday.

 

[Persian Gulf 1906]

Not surprising, barbaric Wahhabis.

 

[VILAYATI]

this is too much , whole world should stand up against such barbaric regime .

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has sought the death penalty against five human rights activists, including a prominent female rights defender, campaigners said on Wednesday.

Among those accused of inciting protests by the Shia Muslim minority in the oil-rich Eastern Province is Israa al-Ghomgham, the first female activist to possibly face the death penalty for her rights-related work.

“Israa al-Ghomgham and four other individuals are now facing the most appalling possible punishment simply for their involvement in anti-government protests,” said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns.

“We are urging the Saudi Arabian authorities to drop these plans immediately.”

Saudi government officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ghomgham, a prominent Shia activist who documented mass demonstrations in the Eastern Province starting in 2011, was arrested at her home along with her husband in December 2015, according to Human Rights Watch.

“Sentencing Israa al-Ghomgham to death would send a horrifying message that other activists could be targeted in the same way for their peaceful protest and human rights activism,” Hadid said.

“The charges against Ghomgham... are absurd and clearly politically motivated to silence dissent.”

Amnesty says at least 12 other leading human rights activists, including eight women, have been arrested in the kingdom since May — just before the kingdom ended its ban on women drivers.

Many of them long opposed the decades-long ban and resisted the system of male “guardians” — fathers, husbands or other relatives, whose permission is required to travel or get married.

The ultra-conservative kingdom has one of the world's highest rates of execution, with suspects convicted of terrorism, homicide, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking facing the death penalty.

Rights experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the fairness of trials in the kingdom, an absolute monarchy governed under a strict form of Islamic law. The government says the death penalty is a deterrent for further crime.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1428609/s...enalty-for-female-rights-activist-campaigners

‘Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like Israa al-Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behaviour, is monstrous’

Executions in Saudi Arabia are typically carried out by beheading with a sword.

“Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like Israa al-Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behaviour, is monstrous,” Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW, said in a statement on Wednesday.

More retarded propaganda. This time from Pakistani "media".

None of those are "peaceful activists" and activists are yet to be executed in KSA.

Not surprising, barbaric Wahhabis.

Yes, we should use the Wilayat al-Faqih Mullah Rawafid in Iran as an example since they have the highest execution rate in the world and executed 10.000 political prisoners just in 1988.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_executions_of_Iranian_political_prisoners

While we speak 1000's of Iranian activists are in prison and being raped and tortured along with the 1000's of protestors that have been arrested after the wide scale protests across Iran this year (that continue), lol.

Comparing that to a peaceful and booming (on all fronts) KSA, is a joke. You better worry about your failing regime (on every front) and reverse engineering 60 year old technology and hailing that as something, huge, lol. I also suggest sending toilet paper to your relatives back home as they will soon need it.

this is too much , whole world should stand up against such barbaric regime .

There is no "standing up" to KSA. No power can do anything. Nor will they. KSA is not your average country. Besides this news is false.

BTW, I hope that every traitor and anti-KSA individual (citizen or not) will be publicly executed in KSA if conspiring against the nation and harming it when in a state of war and regional conflict and when undergoing crucial domestic reforms. Especially in this crucial and exciting time where such individuals and their terrorism (hidden under nonsense claims of "activism") whether from the supposedly "secular lot" or the "Mullah lot" will be dealt with very harshly. Barking dinosaurs (certain moronic clerics gone for good) and traitors hidden under the garb of "activists" have experienced this first-hand. Hopefully more to come.

 

[I.R.A]

More retarded propaganda. This time from Pakistani "media".

None of those are "peaceful activists" and activists are yet to be executed in KSA.

What violent acts led to or can lead to death penalty in these cases? What did these individuals do to deserve the harshest punishment?

 

[Saif al-Arab]

What violent acts led to or can lead to death penalty in these cases? What did these individuals do to deserve the harshest punishment?

Peaceful activists are yet to be executed in KSA.

Endangering the security of the state, conspiring against it, collaborating with enemies, trying to incite hate and hostility towards the state and by default the people in a crucial time where KSA is booming on all fronts and reforms are taking place, should not be tolerated regardless if it occurs from the secular lot/"further reforms lot" or the reactionary Mullah lot. MbS and the leadership is doing an balancing act. So far successfully. This balancing act cannot be gambled with as the future of KSA (at least the immediate) is at stake.

Almost everything that those "activists" have called for, for years, have been done in the past 2-3 years. What more do they want? They will never be satisfied.

Such games have been played by certain "clerics" as well in recent years and they have been arrested and dealt with similarly.

100's if not 1000's of Saudi Arabians criticize local, regional and state policies online every single day. Insulting officials. Complaining in person to officials (local politicians or even House of Saud Emirs in the various provinces). 99% of the time nothing will happen.

From 1994 until 2001 OBL (half Yemeni and half Syrian, although born in KSA and with Saudi Arabian citizenship that was stripped off him back in 1994) and his likes were called dissidents and "peaceful activists" by the Western media. To this very day the likes of the UK are hosting wanted terrorists in London that are inciting Saudi Arabians in the UK and the Saudi Arabian and Arab diaspora against KSA and poisoning their minds. Examples are Al-Faqih and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa'ad_Al-Faqih

and the physicist

Al-Massari.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_al-Massari

Bandar bin Sultan told it back in 2001 on live US television and completely outwitted the clueless host which even numerous Americans on the comment section openly admit to.

Western-style democracy does not work anywhere outside of the West. Ever wondered why? Why is it not working in China (1.4 billion people), South Asia (2 billion people), Africa (1 billion +), Latin America (close to 1 billion people), Arab world (500 million people) and most of the world? Why did it take the Europeans 100's upon 100's years to develop it after centuries of bloody wars and conflicts of all kind (during WW1 and WW2 100 million Europeans died alone)? Yet it is far from optimal. Look what is going on in Scandinavia thanks to democracy. People have never been as tired of politics and politicians.

Democracy is the (supposedly) LEAST BAD system that we have currently. Democracy in KSA could relatively easily be implemented but the end result would be bad. Should I tell you why? Kuwait next door is a perfect example of this. Jordan another. Could mention other examples.

It would be a mess as every town, city, province, region, historic region, clan, tribe, important families etc. would be voting on their own. Shafi's would be voting for other Shafi'is, if religious. Sufis for other Sufis if religious. Hanbalis for other Hanbalis. Malikis for other Malikis. Twelvers for other Twelvers. Zaydis for other Zaydis. Ismailis for other Ismailis. Rural people (the few that remain) would be voting for other rural people. Less-to-do people would be voting for mostly populists with empty promises. Instead of just a few 1000 people stealing public money, we could have a 10 times higher number in a "democracy".

Did you know that the 72 year old democracy Italy, is as corrupt as KSA? In fact more on many fronts.

That it has had 70+ governments in 72 years? Is that stability?



Look what democracy did in the US? It elected Trump. In the UK, you had Brexit that has the potential to ruin the UK economically. Tons of examples of why this system is far from being perfect either.

Monarchies like the GCC states are scoring the best results in the Muslim, developing and Arab world and on par with many WESTERN democracies? How come?

Moving towards a democratic system can only happen through the continued domestic reforms and people slowly being emerged in such concepts that transcend those issues related to personal gain, commitment etc. Not even talking about clashes between reformists and conservatives. Instead we have a powerful state where decision making is relatively easy and not too complicated or takes too long time.

BTW, I could mention another failed "democracy" in the region, called Iraq. Where democracy has paralyzed the entire state and weakened it. No thank you. At least not now and not in this region where the best examples of "democracy" are Netanyahu's Israel and Erdogan's Turkey. Probably Lebanon is actually the one doing the best Enough said.

 

[Ghareeb_Da_Baal]

didnt we have that " their country , their rules" thingy? Just saw that here a few times in the past week alone? Just sayin....

 

[khansaheeb]

Peaceful activists are yet to be executed in KSA.

Endangering the security of the state, conspiring against it, collaborating with enemies, trying to incite hate and hostility towards the state and by default the people in a crucial time where KSA is booming on all fronts and reforms are taking place, should not be tolerated regardless if it occurs from the secular lot/"further reforms lot" or the reactionary Mullah lot. MbS and the leadership is doing an balancing act. So far successfully. This balancing act cannot be gambled with as the future of KSA (at least the immediate) is at stake.

Almost everything that those "activists" have called for, for years, have been done in the past 2-3 years. What more do they want? They will never be satisfied.

Such games have been played by certain "clerics" as well in recent years and they have been arrested and dealt with similarly.

100's if not 1000's of Saudi Arabians criticize local, regional and state policies online every single day. Insulting officials. Complaining in person to officials (local politicians or even House of Saud Emirs in the various provinces). 99% of the time nothing will happen.

From 1994 until 2001 OBL (half Yemeni and half Syrian, although born in KSA and with Saudi Arabian citizenship that was stripped off him back in 1994) and his likes were called dissidents and "peaceful activists" by the Western media. To this very day the likes of the UK are hosting wanted terrorists in London that are inciting Saudi Arabians in the UK and the Saudi Arabian and Arab diaspora against KSA and poisoning their minds. Examples are Al-Faqih and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa'ad_Al-Faqih

and the physicist

Al-Massari.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_al-Massari

Bandar bin Sultan told it back in 2001 on live US television and completely outwitted the clueless host which even numerous Americans on the comment section openly admit to.

Western-style democracy does not work anywhere outside of the West. Ever wondered why? Why is it not working in China (1.4 billion people), South Asia (2 billion people), Africa (1 billion +), Latin America (close to 1 billion people), Arab world (500 million people) and most of the world? Why did it take the Europeans 100's upon 100's years to develop it after centuries of bloody wars and conflicts of all kind (during WW1 and WW2 100 million Europeans died alone)? Yet it is far from optimal. Look what is going on in Scandinavia thanks to democracy. People have never been as tired of politics and politicians.

Democracy is the (supposedly) LEAST BAD system that we have currently. Democracy in KSA could relatively easily be implemented but the end result would be bad. Should I tell you why? Kuwait next door is a perfect example of this. Jordan another. Could mention other examples.

It would be a mess as every town, city, province, region, historic region, clan, tribe, important families etc. would be voting on their own. Shafi's would be voting for other Shafi'is, if religious. Sufis for other Sufis if religious. Hanbalis for other Hanbalis. Malikis for other Malikis. Twelvers for other Twelvers. Zaydis for other Zaydis. Ismailis for other Ismailis. Rural people (the few that remain) would be voting for other rural people. Less-to-do people would be voting for mostly populists with empty promises. Instead of just a few 1000 people stealing public money, we could have a 10 times higher number in a "democracy".

Did you know that the 72 year old democracy Italy, is as corrupt as KSA? In fact more on many fronts.

That it has had 70+ governments in 72 years? Is that stability?



Look what democracy did in the US? It elected Trump. In the UK, you had Brexit that has the potential to ruin the UK economically. Tons of examples of why this system is far from being perfect either.

Monarchies like the GCC states are scoring the best results in the Muslim, developing and Arab world and on par with many WESTERN democracies? How come?

Moving towards a democratic system can only happen through the continued domestic reforms and people slowly being emerged in such concepts that transcend those issues related to personal gain, commitment etc. Not even talking about clashes between reformists and conservatives. Instead we have a powerful state where decision making is relatively easy and not too complicated or takes too long time.

BTW, I could mention another failed "democracy" in the region, called Iraq. Where democracy has paralyzed the entire state and weakened it. No thank you. At least not now and not in this region where the best examples of "democracy" are Netanyahu's Israel and Erdogan's Turkey. Probably Lebanon is actually the one doing the best Enough said.

Rather an extreme spin on dissent isn't it? This is totally Un-Islamic and you guys have lost the plot.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Rather an extreme spin on dissent isn't it? This is totally Un-Islamic and you guys have lost the plot.

And what do you know about those individuals and why are you blindly believing in some nonsense report when not a single Saudi Arabian citizen has been executed for simple dissident activity that is nonviolent?

Everything was explained in this thread by me already.

Lastly I don't care about those individuals as I know their background and "work" and have zero sympathy for them.

The real reformists are those that are actually reforming KSA on all fronts (government, private sector and civil society) and not some retarded "activists".

I hope and expect the government to deal with them accordingly if found guilty. They are useless people (by large) that add nothing. They should not be given any attention as they do not deserve it.

BTW I am proudly "extreme" when it comes to the interests of KSA, our people and the Arab world and Arabs. And what I dislike the most, even compared to our greatest foreign enemies, are local traitors. There is only one solution for them.

 

[T-Rex]

And what do you know about those individuals and why are you blindly believing in some nonsense report when not a single Saudi Arabian citizen has been executed for simple dissident activity that is nonviolent?

Everything was explained in this thread by me already.

Lastly I don't care about those individuals as I know their background and "work" and have zero sympathy for them.

The real reformists are those that are actually reforming KSA on all fronts (government, private sector and civil society) and not some retarded "activists".

I hope and expect the government to deal with them accordingly if found guilty. They are useless people (by large) that add nothing. They should not be given any attention as they do not deserve it.

BTW I am proudly "extreme" when it comes to the interests of KSA, our people and the Arab world and Arabs. And what I dislike the most, even compared to our greatest foreign enemies, are local traitors. There is only one solution for them.

The real reform will be when people will be allowed to say what is not so pleasing to your wahabi prince's ears without being put to the sword. Remember you reap what you sow.

 

[Arabi]

More retarded propaganda. This time from Pakistani "media".

None of those are "peaceful activists" and activists are yet to be executed in KSA.

I took a quick glance on Pakistani media and I read dozens of fake and shi** news they write on Saudi Arabia, then I started to think how much hate and envy do these Pakistani hold under their chests while our incompetent ambassador in Islamabad doesn't convey what's really going on out there to our leadership or public in Saudi Arabia.

As I recall there has never been any attack or negative publications in Saudi media against Pakistan despite the fact that Pakistan refused unanimously inside its parliament to send a symbolic troops to Saudi Arabia just to please their masters in Iran.

Saudi Arabia should start by summon our incompetent ambassador there and downgrade our diplomatic relation with Pakistan, then we have to host Baluchi activists and give them a free pass to speak out against Pakistan's atrocities on them.

 

[El Sidd]

Nice to see gender equality.

 

[El Sidd]

didnt we have that " their country , their rules" thingy? Just saw that here a few times in the past week alone? Just sayin....

Dude its saudi arabia.
Everybody seems to have the rights to criticize it.
Its a unique situation

 

[El Sidd]

I took a quick glance on Pakistani media and I read dozens of the fake and shi** news they write on Saudi Arabia, then I started to think how much hate and envy do these Pakistani hold under their chests while our incompetent ambassador in Islamabad doesn't convey what's really going on out there to our leadership or public in Saudi Arabia.

As I recall there has never been any attack or negative publications in Saudi media against Pakistan despite the fact that Pakistan refused unanimously inside its parliament to send a symbolic troops to Saudi Arabia just to please their masters in Iran.

Saudi Arabia should start by summon our incompetent ambassador there and downgrade our diplomatic relation with Pakistan, then we have to host Baluchi activists and give them a free pass to speak out against Pakistan's atrocities on them.

Try it.

 

[Persian Gulf 1906]

Saudi Arabia should start by summon our incompetent ambassador there and downgrade our diplomatic relation with Pakistan, then we have to host Baluchi activists and give them a free pass to speak out against Pakistan's atrocities on them.

you want to lose your nuclear weapons?