Saudi Arabia arrests YouTube activists

[PERSIAN GOD KING]

Saudi Arabia has arrested three young men for posting online a video on poverty in the oil-rich country, rights activists have reported.


The three identified as Firas Baqna, Khalid al-Rasheed and Hussam al-Darwish were arrested a few days ago in al-Sahaba district, north of capital, after opposition television, al-Islah, aired part of their YouTube series titled "Malub Aleina" ("We are being cheated"), AFP reported.

The UK-based al-Islah channel is believed to belong to the Movement for Islamic Reform in Saudi Arabia which is banned in the Kingdom.

In the part aired by al-Islah, poverty in al-Jaradeya, a poor Riyadh neighborhood, is shown and it features an interview with a mosque imam saying that vice and drugs were becoming popular in the region due to poverty.

The video also points to the wealth of 11 Saudi billionaires that are among the world's richest men, while nearly 30 percent of Saudis suffer from poverty in a country that is the holder of 20 percent of the world's oil reserves.

Saudi authorities have accused the three activists of "turning public opinion against the public order of the country.”

One Saudi activist said authorities suspected the three men "were receiving finance from al-Islah channel and were taken into custody for interrogation."

"The aim of the series is to draw attention to social problems, nothing more," the activist added.

The Cairo-based rights group, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, has criticized Riyadh for suppressing activists, adding that their arrests were politically motivated.

"Saudi authorities have to implement genuine political reform, instead of stalking and harassing the activists and (neglecting) laws and fundamental freedoms," the rights group said.

It has also accused the Saudi government of restricting freedom of expression as a means to "intimidate pro-democracy citizens''. The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information also condemned the silence of the Arab and international community on rights violations in the Kingdom.

According to the Democracy Index for 2010 published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Saudi Arabia is the least democratic country in the Middle East and ranks 160th out of 167 countries worldwide.

HM/PKH/HGH
PressTV - Saudi Arabia arrests YouTube activists

---------- Post added at 03:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:58 PM ----------

press tv at work again.

 

[Mosamania]

Aha. Al-Islah is involved.when I heard the news yesterday I was really down thinking why did this happen. Al-Islah tried to assassinate naif the interior minister once so that's why they arrested them.

 

[somebozo]

Looking at the video it looks like a well managed defamation art. The financial facts and figured mentioned in the documentry are good enough for a decent life but definitely having 2 wives and 11 kids is an insane thought even for the well off..just what the hell this man named "Abu Mansour" was thinking?

No wonder Feras got arrested for backing a well crafted defamation attempt!

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

its hardly a secret....i have Saudi friends who have told me that yes there is poverty in Saudi Arabia as well.....unemployment rate is pretty high in some areas

 

[Mosamania]

its hardly a secret....i have Saudi friends who have told me that yes there is poverty in Saudi Arabia as well.....unemployment rate is pretty high in some areas

Nobody is denying poverty but when someone comes and says "As long as the King is well we are not well" then there is something wrong here.

 

[VelocuR]

Youtube activities, what kind of crimes they have done? Saudi Arabia just want to show HOLY SAUDI ?

Pathetic!

Imam of the mosque in this video@6:45 saying: "......in some families, fathers forces their daughters for prostitution to bring money! Yes, that's right, they force their daughters to do so to collect money "

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Nobody is denying poverty but when someone comes and says "As long as the King is well we are not well" then there is something wrong here.

well to be the devil's advocate, shouldnt he have a right to say it if it's not harming anyone else

focus on real threats....this guy isnt a threat. Jailing him is a waste of time.

 

[Mosamania]

Youtube activities, what kind of crimes they have done? Saudi Arabia just want to show HOLY SAUDI ?

Pathetic!

They were just called in for questioning by the way. Because their video kept playing in the UK based "Al-Islah" movement channel which calls for the destruction of Al-Saud they were released shortly.

Again another case of Media defaming.

well to be the devil's advocate, shouldnt he have a right to say it if it's not harming anyone else

focus on real threats....this guy isnt a threat. Jailing him is a waste of time.

Report to my above post ^^

 

[VelocuR]

They were just called in for questioning by the way. Because their video kept playing in the UK based "Al-Islah" movement channel which calls for the destruction of Al-Saud they were released shortly.

Again another case of Media defaming.

According to the video, these poor people demands for good house and households demands. They just ask for government help, you know how it works to gain government attentions. Not asking to destroy Al-Saud governments.

These activities are very simple people and bought foods to these poor people.

 

[Mosamania]

According to the video, these poor people demands for good house and households demands. They just ask for government help, you know how it works to gain government attentions. Not asking to destroy Al-Saud governments.

These activities are very simple people and bought foods to these poor people.

If you think I support his questioning you are mistaken. They are asking for increase in the social security pay and its their right to ask for such a thing. However having 14 kids when you are poor just to increase social security salary is dumb and will only put strain on the government which is already over stretched funding mega projects to increase jobs.

And to tell you the truth I know many of those people they do not want to really work they just want free money. They can work anywhere they wish I mean for God's sake look at all the foreigners in the country that they can take the jobs from however they don't want those jobs but they want free pay at the same time.

And also if you ask me giving unemployed benefits is also wrong. I study in Medical School how do you think I feel when someone who couldn't get into college in the first place because of his failure in school is getting more money than me.

 

[Syrian Lion]

Poverty is only in the East part of Saudi mostly.

 

[lem34]

According to the video, these poor people demands for good house and households demands. They just ask for government help, you know how it works to gain government attentions. Not asking to destroy Al-Saud governments.

These activities are very simple people and bought foods to these poor people.

This is the democracy that Clinton is discussing with Sauds

 

[VelocuR]

If you think I support his questioning you are mistaken. They are asking for increase in the social security pay and its their right to ask for such a thing. However having 14 kids when you are poor just to increase social security salary is dumb and will only put strain on the government which is already over stretched funding mega projects to increase jobs.

And to tell you the truth I know many of those people they do not want to really work they just want free money. They can work anywhere they wish I mean for God's sake look at all the foreigners in the country that they can take the jobs from however they don't want those jobs but they want free pay at the same time.

And also if you ask me giving unemployed benefits is also wrong. I study in Medical School how do you think I feel when someone who couldn't get into college in the first place because of his failure in school is getting more money than me.

Your logical make sense, I got what you mean. Giving free money is not correct due to some lazy, however, you know well many husband has multi-wives and many children, the government hasn't put any objects or any issues regarding the limit of marriage relations. I find it astounding many husbands has alot of wives, the poverty will increase rapidly if they become careless.

I know similarly here in North America, if alot of children or fewer, government is fully support increasing funds to support their daily requirements, foods, clothes, and other benefits. Saudi Arabia has oil rich and more funds available to feed poor people, 70% Saudi population didn't have own house, which is something wrong. UAE better?

This is the democracy that Clinton is discussing with Sauds

LOL.

 

[Mosamania]

Your logical make sense, I got what you mean. Giving free money is not correct due to some lazy, however, you know well many husband has multi-wives and many children, the government hasn't put any objects or any issues regarding the limit of marriage relations. I find it astounding many husbands has alot of wives, the poverty will increase rapidly if they become careless.

I know similarly here in North America, if alot of children or fewer, government is fully support increasing funds to support their daily requirements, foods, clothes, and other benefits. Saudi Arabia has oil rich and more funds available to feed poor people, 70% Saudi population didn't have own house, which is something wrong. UAE better?



LOL.

Why the hell said many has Multi-Wives??? That is an utter disgusting lie by the way. I do not know a SINGLE person here who has more than one wife if he has any. So the assumption prevailing on Saudis having many wives is totally baseless and quite ridiculous to say the least.

True 70% of Saudis don't own a home but why is that?? Because the previous generation had so many kids we had the highest birth rate in the Arab world and possibly the world I mean my grandfather even though he had one wife (which is the norm not many wives as you people think) he had 16 kids that how many. And each one of those 16 kids had at least 6-9 kids. You put two and two together you find that the youth explosion has caused this. Really sometimes I blame the older generation for all our problems.

But as I said oil rich does not mean unlimited money. You still get a set of money each year you must spend smartly you have to invest in industry rather than just pay off lazy poor people who just want more money for nothing. Saudi Arabia is a state no it is not your right to get money from the oil sales you get money from the oil sales through work and thank God you are not being taxed either. You become a productive member of society not look for an office job like an idiot swallow your bride admit you failed in school and Qias tests and you must work in Mcdonalds or as a Cashier in a store. Government can't hire everybody for tea sipping jobs. at least not anymore.

 

[Desert Fox]

I applaud this man brave Man Feras Boqnah for exposing the pitiful conditions of the majority of his countrymen. The Saudi government should deport all of those foreign laborers and give their jobs to their own citizens as these people need jobs and a good salary to feed their families of 12 to 20 members.

I can't seem to understand why his government would arrest him for exposing their incompetence? He did nothing wrong, in fact i think what he did was right!

The Saudi government is all up in Syria's business criticizing the Syrian dictator while they themselves have quite a mess to clean up in their own country if this is the condition in which the majority of their countrymen live.