Saudi reformers call for free elections

 Reuters 19 Feb 2007

By Andrew Hammond

RIYADH, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabian reformers have called for free elections in an Internet petition but three of its authors were among a group arrested this month for "funding terrorism", a reformer said on Monday.

The arrests, which the Interior Ministry denied were linked with the petition, have not deterred other activists who intend to present the document to the king, an absolute monarch.

"After one month we will present it to the king, we will deliver it to the royal court," signatory Khaled al-Omair told Reuters.

So far, 114 people have signed the document, dated Feb. 2, and made available on Web site www.dostor-islami.com last week for people to add their names by March 20.

The document accuses the government of preventing reformers from travelling abroad, closing some Internet sites, banning public demonstrations and threatening state employees with dismissal for expressing opinions contrary to government policy.

Saudi Arabia has an unelected quasi-parliament that advises on legislation. In 2005 half the seats on municipal councils were chosen by election, but hopes that more polling would follow have so far come to nothing.

"The general interests of the people in any country can only be ensured via a parliament voted for by all adult men and women," the document says.

The petition resembles another issued in March 2004 which led to the trial of three of its authors and accusations from the Interior Ministry the campaigners were exploiting Western pressure for reform.

The three activists were jailed but later pardoned when King Abdullah was enthroned in 2005, in what some observers took as a sign of differences within the royal family on political reform. 

STRONGER LANGUAGE

The new petition appears to use stronger language, attacking the Interior Ministry for using "absolute authority".

Three of its signatories, Sulaiman Rushoudy, Mousa al-Qarny and Fahd al-Qurashi, were among 10 men detained on Feb. 2 in what the Interior Ministry said was an operation within the framework of a crackdown on militant funding.

Omair said the petition was one reason behind the arrests. "It's one of the reasons. The three men wanted to encourage people to sign the petition," he said. One foreign diplomat said it was "highly likely" the arrests were linked to the petition.

But a source familiar with the case has said three of the detainees were involved in collecting money for people who have been recruiting volunteers to fight in Iraq since 2003.

Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki said there was no link between the petition and the arrests. "We have a case based on evidence of involvement of these people in terrorism financing. I have no idea if they were involved in anything else," he said.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have asked the authorities to explain the charges. On Monday, Swiss-based International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), an independent group of jurists and lawyers who monitor human rights issues, said there was "sufficient evidence" to suggest they had been arrested for their reform activities.

(Additional reporting by Richard Waddington in Geneva)