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"The Feb.2007, "***
First I would like to briefly
introduce my self to whom it may concern : I'm ,
Matrook Alfaleh , one of three ,of the so-called
Advocates of " Constitutional Reform & Civil
society's " ( the other two are : Dr.Abd-Allah Al-Hamid
, and a poet , Mr.Ali Al-Dummaini ) , who were jailed
, in Saudi Arabia , March - 16-2004 , and sentenced
unjustly( May -15-2005 ) , under the Influence &
direction of Ministry Of Interior, just because we,
signed two reform's documents ( paper petitions ), in
both of which we peacefully demanded & called upon
the Saudi authority ( Saudi leadership ) to introduce a
constitutional reform in Saudi Arabia. The three men,
along with other reformers & supporters , - ( including
; our lawyer Abd-Alrahman Al-Lahim , Mohammed Saied
Tayeb, Dr.Abd-Alhameed Mubark , Mohana Alfaleh , Issa
Al-Hamid , Khalid Al-Omair, Najeeb Khunaizi , Ali
Gathami , and still others …etc.) , and other figures,
like , Dr.Saeid Zuaier & two of his sons(Mubark & Saad
), and Mr.Ibraheem Mugayteeb , and not to mention
hundreds of other cases which have received no
publicity ) - , still up to date (April 2007 ) have been
banned from travel.
Second , in response to frequent
inquiries as to my view on the issue of the Feb-2007
arrests in Saudi Arabia , as well as to making some
points & comments on what have been circulated in media
and other statements or articles elsewhere , as they
relate to the latest arrests ( Feb-2-2007 ) in Saudi
Arabia , several points need spelling out :
A- I would like to say and assure you
that I know personally most, if not all the men being
arrested. All of them are activists for civil society &
democratic reform in Saudi Arabia. All of them either
signed with us (the above-mentioned reformers) one or
the two well known reform's documents back in January &
December 2003, or supported them & us.
For those who signed one or both
reform's documents, this is true for:
1-Issam Basrawi, a well-known lawyer
in Saudi Arabia, especially in Al-hijaz Region, and who
by the way, a handicapped person & our Lawyer during &
after our trials (2004-2005). He signed and supported
strongly both reform documents ; the first one , titled
" A Vision for the Present and Future of the Homeland "
, formulated and sent January 2003 , and widely , and
briefly has been known as " The Vision " . The second
one, titled " " A National call for Both the Leadership
& People: A constitutional Reform first "which was
formulated & then sent on 16-12-2003.
2- Dr. Abdul-Rahman Shumairy, a
2006-retird professor At Um-Algura University (Mecca),
signed and strongly supported both.
3-Sulieman Al-Roshodi , a fired
judge because of his role in announcing the creation of
the so-called , the " Legitimate Committee for Human
Rights in Saudi Arabia " back in 1993, and he was among
those of reformers jailed in March 2004 , and after his
release has joined our lawyers' team , during & after
our trials (2004-2005). He signed and strongly supported
both.
4- Dr. Mosa Al-Garni, A retired
professor at Medina University signed with us, and
strongly supported the second reform document.
5-Al- Shareef Saif-Aldeen Faisal Al-Shareef
,( of Al-Ashraf Family which used to govern al-hijaz
Region ) & currently A businessman , signed, the
second, above-mentioned reform document , in a second
lists of names , that were supposed to be published in
a later stage, but because of March-2004 arrests never
sent officially .
As for the other guys
being arrested , this includes : # 6-Dr.Abd-Alaziz Al-Khuraiji,
who is a medical doctor & businessman , and ; # 7- Saud
Al-Hashmi, a medical Professor at King Abd-alaziz
university (Jeddah).Both men have supported political
reform as well as civil society approach . Moreover. Dr,
Saud Al-Hashmi visited me and my colleague Dr. Abd-Allah
Al-Hamid three times After our release and took part
in discussions in our " civil Society Diwanyah ( a
weekly open , but not officially licensed , meeting ,
arranged by Dr. Al-Hamid and me in Riyadh ) , and
assured both of us that he supported civil society
approach & constitutional reform , and since then he
has become very active in promoting and spreading the
ideas & elements of constitutional reform movement in
Saudi Arabia, through interviews& open weekly(Diwanyah )
meeting in his house in Jeddah .
As for the arrested # 8 , who is
Mr. Fahad Al-Sakhry Al-Gurashi , he is a college's
student at Medina University , and he has been very
supportive of the movement of
constitutional reform &
civil
society approach , as he assured Dr.Abd-Allah Al-Hamid
, several times , during meetings with him , about his
position . In fact , Mr. Fahad Al-Gurashi has , along
with Dr.Al-Garni and Al-Roshoodi , before their arrest
, signed the latest reform document, entitled : "
Milestones in the Road to a State of constitutional
Monarchy ; A State of Justice & Shora( people's
participation & representation ) , put on a web site (
see :
www.dostor-islami.com, or , if unable to reach , see
text & names , in Arabic , in attached file ) the very
day of the group's arrest on Feb.2-2007 . The newest
document reform , which is somehow an extension to the
previous two ones, and which was sent to King Abd-Allah
early April 2007 , is calling upon the Saudi government
to adopt and introduce several democratic reform's
elements , including ; independent judiciary & free
election of legislature to have the governments'
policies & officials accountable , issuing & protecting
a code of human rights & public liberties , including
free speech & expression , as well as approving &
allowing the formation & working of independent civil
society organizations. The Document also called upon
the King to curtail the already overpower of Ministry of
Interior , which dominate totally over a very aspect of
life in the country , by splitting Ministry of Interior
into two , one for security per se , and the other to
focus in development issues and the people's needs ,
and should be under a new Ministry of local &
regional government , now being under the control &
direction of Ministry of Interior . The Document also
demands that Ministry of Interior should respect the
code of criminal procedures that itself approved & as
well as respecting international regional human rights
conventions & agreements that the Saudi government
signed or agreed to ; to achieve this the document
demands turning , without delay , all prisoners (
hundreds if not thousands ) to public open just
trials .
The newest-Feb- April-2007 reform
document , based on a very genuine & progressive vision
and interpretation of Islam which is very compatible
with the concept & essence of democratic state , has
been signed by around 100 persons of various schools of
thought & political currents , as well as of different
religions ( Islamic sects ) of various regions of the
country , including Shiites & Ismaelis . As for those
of the men being under arrest, and who did not sign the
newest reform document, they were actually about to sign
it, but they were caught before signing it.
As for the 9th person
being under arrest , along with the group , and about
whom Ministry of Interior said , in its arrest's
statement , he is a foreigner of north African origin ,
so as to give credibility to its accusation that the
men were pro-terrorism , facts speak differently as
follows : It is true that this guy is from Morocco ,
but the Ministry of interior failed to mention that
this guy , with a legal residence in the country, under
the sponsorship of Mr. Mohammed Saied Tayeb ( a
well-known Hijazi figure & reformer ) is a helper and
and a special driver to , Mr.Issam Basrawi , who is a
well-known handicapped person and who without this guy's
help & assistance would not be able to move any where ,
including going to bathroom.
In addition, other facts about the
arrested- 8-men include the following: Mr. Suleiman Al-Roshodi
, Mr. Issam Basrawi , Dr. Mosa Al-Garni , Dr. Abdul-Rahman
Shumairy , and Al- Shareef Saif-Aldeen Faisal Al-Shareef
were among the team of lawyers who defended the
three " constitutional reformers " during their trials
of 2004-2005 ; this true for the first two men (Al-Roshodi
&, Basrawi ) for the whole process of trials before and
after the verdict and up to the release . As for the
remaining three men (Al-Garni , Shumairy , and Al-
Shareef Saif-Aldeen ) it is true for their
participating with the team in writing collectively
the " appeal defense " to the higher court .
As for the real actions taken , or
were probably about to be taken , by the 8-men , that
most likely moved the Ministry of Interior to arrest
them , and in a way to kill any serious attempt to
activate any democratic & political reform's demand ,
some points deserve mentioning ;
a- It is somehow understood , among
some reformers in the country , especially the so-called
" Constitutional Reformers " ( to which I &
Dr.Al-Hamid belong ) that some of the 8-men , and not
all of them , and in a way to concretely push the
democratic reform movement , were interacting &
discussing , for a while , an idea, revolving around ,
the plausibility & possibility of announcing and
creating a somehow political forum ( party ) , but the
arrests seem to Abort the very idea itself .
b- It is also widely understood ,
among various reformers in Saudi Arabia , including the
" Constitutional Reformers " ( including me & Dr. Al-Hamid
) , that some of the 8-men, and not all of them , were
interacting & discussing between themselves and with
others , for a while , the idea of concretely pushing
the democratic reform movement as it relates to
protecting human rights activists in Saudi Arabia in
case they were to be harmed , or arrested by Saudi
Authorities , through announcing and creating a "
Committee for the Protection of the Defenders of Public
Liberties & Human Rights' Activists " . But the arrests
seem to target Aborting the idea too.
c- - It is also widely understood ,
and known as fact , not only among various reformers in
Saudi Arabia , including the " Constitutional Reformers
" ( including me & Dr. Al-Hamid ) , but also among
several Saudi families concerned with their boys & sons
being under arrest for long time by Ministry of
Interior without charging & or turning them to trials ,
that some of the 8-men, and especially Mr. Suleiman
Al-Roshodi , Mr. Issam Basrawi , and Dr. Mosa Al-Garni
, were interacting & discussing between themselves and
with several other lawyers , for a while , the idea
of concretely pushing the democratic reform movement ,
through legally compelling Ministry of Interior to
turn all arrested persons to open and just trials . To
implement this step the group of lawyers concerned here,
including some of the 8-men under consideration ,
have planned , after receiving powers of attorney ,
from over 40 Saudi families , to represent their
beloved-arrested ones , to take Ministry of Interior to
the " Diwan Madhalim " ( that is : Grievances
Department/or Court ) . They were supposed to present
the case against Ministry of Interior, formally to the
": Grievances Department/or Court) the morning day
(Saturday; 02- Feb- 2007) that follows their night's
arrests. To abort this action , Ministry of Interior ,
not only arrested them , but stormed their houses &
offices , without any respect to any laws locally or
internationally , and confiscated all" powers of
attorney " as well as documents and personal computers
.
Accordingly, it is absolutely absurd
that these 8- men under Arrest "are pro-terrorism". The
terrorist charge by Ministry Of Interior is only a
cover-up to hide the real reasons for the arrests
which are to suppress and kill any reform demands &
advocates under the pretext of fighting terrorists&
terrorism , so as to avoid any sympathy with them ,
internally as well as internationally , especially from
human rights organization as well as western governments
& public figures .By the way the so-called "
Constitutional Reformers " ( including me , Dr, Al-Hamid
, and Mr. Al-Dummani ) were accused publicly , too , by
Ministry of Interior & its Public Attorney , during our
trials(2004-2005) that we supported & justify violence &
terrorism , and the Saudi authorities , moreover, had
tried to market this charge against us even to the
UN-Commission on Human Rights , but eventually failed to
substantiate .
Final note , and as a matter of fact
, and in clear violations of Islamic laws as well as
all human rights' conventions , the 8-men , now for two
consecutive months , have been imprisoned incommunicado
, and they have been unable to receive or to see their
families as well as their lawyers , not to mention that
recently , Dr. Basim A-lim , their volunteer lawyer,
, has been added to the lists of no travel ) .
The Dominating General Rule , here
in Saudi Arabia , could be put as it follows : you can
eat , and you may see and/or hear , but don’t speak
up , don’t criticize , don’t write or sign
collective petition & demands , don’t associate , and ,
why not , don’t travel . The consequent result , I
don’t need to contemplate , but I leave it to all or
anyone whom it may concern .
Best Regards.
……………………………………….
By;
***Matrook Alfaleh
Prof. of Political Science
College of Law & Political Science
King Saud University.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Issued: 02-04-2007
E-mail: malfaleh@yahoo.com
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