-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,153287,00.html West 'turns blind eye to Saudi torture' Executions and amputations ignored for the sake of oil, says report Amnesty International-Saudi Arabia Campaign Dina Zaki Wednesday March 29, 2000 The most fundamental human rights of people living in Saudi Arabia are violated daily yet the country escapes international condemnation because of its huge oil reserves and alliance with western powers, Amnesty International said yesterday. A report by the London-based human rights organisation says that on average two people are beheaded every week in the desert kingdom, which has increased its use of the death penalty, despite the world trend towards abolition. Alleged robbers have their hands and feet amputated, often after unfair trials. Offences related to alcohol consumption or breaking the strict moral code are punishable with flogging, the report says. Vague laws on "sabotage" and "terrorism" are used to prosecute perceived government opponents and political parties, elections, independent legislature, and trade unions are all banned, said Amnesty at the start of a six-month campaign to highlight abuses in the kingdom. The report says migrant workers, particularly those from poorer countries in the Middle East, African and Asia, are vulnerable to abuse from their employers as well as from the authorities. If arrested, foreign nationals may be tricked or coerced into sign ing a confession in Arabic, which they may not understand. Migrant workers are frequently tortured and ill-treated, Amnesty says, and are more likely than Saudis to be executed or punished by flogging or amputation. Many expatriate workers exchange horror stories about acquaintances who ended up in jail or were deported for offences ranging from traffic violations to arguments with employers. The report describes how women who go about unaccompanied or are in the company of a man who is neither their husband nor a close relative risk being arrested on suspicion of prostitution. They are terrorised by the Mutaween or religious police who patrol public places on the lookout for "moral offenders". The Mutaween shout at women to cover their hair and sometimes their faces. "The Saudi Arabian government spares no effort to keep its appalling human rights record a secret, and other governments have shown themselves more than willing to help maintain the secrecy," says the report, entitled Saudi Arabia: A Secret State of Suffering. With oil prices at their highest in years, the US and other western nations, busy lobbying oil producers to increase output to put a cap on further price rises, are unlikely to rock the boat by condemning Saudi Arabia's human rights record. Home to thousands of US and British troops since the Gulf war, the kingdom has earned itself the mantle of trusted ally of the west, often to the detriment of those seeking to flee its oppression. Hani al-Sayegh, a 30-year-old Saudi who was seeking asylum in the US, was forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia in October 1999. He was detained on arrival as a suspect in connection with the bombing of a US military complex at al-Khobar in 1996 - an offence punishable by death. He continues to be held without access to lawyers and is at risk of being tortured, Amnesty says. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest rates of executions in the world in both absolute numbers and per capita, it says. In February 2000 alone, 11 people were executed. The state executes murderers, drug smugglers, rapists and those convicted of other violent crimes. Amnesty recorded 90 judicial amputations between 1981 and December 1999, but says the true number is probably higher. Amputation is prescribed for causing injury and for theft, punished by amputation of the right hand, and for highway robbery, punished by amputation of the right hand and left foot. Saudi officials rarely respond to the charges of human rights groups. If they do, they deny abuses and say the punishments meted out are based on Islamic law, and that strict judicial criteria and safeguards are applied. But Amnesty says the Saudi Arabian justice system "from the outset treats suspects as guilty and the lack of independent mechanisms for reporting torture and investigations into allegations have all fostered a climate of fear, secrecy and impunity". Case studies: Victims condemned without defence Nieves's story A Filipino married mother of two, Nieves worked as a secretary at King Fahd National Guard Hospital in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. She was arrested by Mutaween religious police on 9 November, 1992, while celebrating a friend's birthday at a restaurant in Riyadh. Her group included a married couple and a single man and woman. The Mutaween suspected the group of prostitution after they found money in in the bag of one of Nieves's friends and accused her of accepting the money for introducing Nieves to the single man. They tricked the group into signing "confessions", which were used against them at a court trial. Nieves was sentenced to 25 days in prison and 60 lashes. "I could not describe the pain," she said. Nieves was deported to the Philippines immediately after serving her sentence. Abdul's story Abdul-Karim al-Naqshabandi, a Syrian, was arrested, tortured into signing a confession and then convicted of "witchcraft" after a secret, summary trial. He had no access to a lawyer and had no opportunity to defend himself, even though he was charged with an offence punishable by death. In a letter to the court, he protested his innocence: "They did not give me a chance to defend myself. The investigation was carried out by just one person, but they all ratified what he had to say even though they had not heard what I said to him. "He threatened me with a beating and they tied me up like an animal. I had to sign to protect myself. I signed in the hope that I would find someone in the police who would want to listen to the truth, but I was surprised to be treated even more severely. The officer put his shoe in my mouth, beat me up, put me in a cell, and did not allow visits. He threatened me with worse treatment if I refused to agree to the confession in court. I ratified my confession in the hope that someone would listen to me in court." Naqshabandi argued that he had been framed by his employer after refusing to help with false testimony in a business deal. He gave information that threw considerable doubt on the case against him, but it is not known how the court dealt with his defence. He was executed on 13 December, 1996. -- ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ________________________________________________________ 1stUp.com - Free the Web� Get your free Internet access at http://www.1stUp.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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