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Regarding the human rights conditions in Saudi
Arabia , the committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the
Arabian Peninsula (CDHRAP) respectfully urges you to raise
concerns about religious freedom and related human rights.
Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA.ir), The chair of the Committee for
the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula Mr.
Mohammad Abul Azeem al-Hussain sent a letter to the Amnesty
International urging it to raise pressing concerns about
religious freedom in Saudi Arabia and to press the Saudi Arabian
authorities to release the religious prisoners in Saudi Arabia .
The complete text of the letter follows:
Dear Amnesty International ,
Regarding the human rights conditions in Saudi Arabia , the
committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian
Peninsula (CDHRAP) respectfully urges you to raise concerns
about religious freedom and related human rights.
The Saudi government continued to commit abuses against members
of the Shi'a minority.
Despite Saudi government claims undertaking some limited reform
measures , the Saudi government marginalizes and systematically
discriminates against the Shia community in the country through
implementation the policy of discrimination , and persists in
banning all forms of public religious expression other than that
of the government’s own interpretation of one school of Sunni
Islam and even interferes with private religious practice.
The members of the Shi'a Muslim community suffer systematic
political, social, cultural as well as religious discrimination.
In this letter , I would like to draw your attention to three
specific cases.
1- Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas, 30 years , a Shi'a human
rights defender in Awwamiyah of al-Qatif , was still held in
solitary confinement for seven months the intelligence service
in Al-Dammam .
Al-Mahbahith al-'Amma (General Investigations) of al-Qatif
summoned Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas on November 7, 2009, and
held him in solitary confinement under the charge of criticizing
the ill-treatment of Saudi government against Shiites through
his website “Tahara” .
Some members of al-Mahbahith al-'Amma raided Al-Jassas's house
and confiscated his personal possessions .
Al-Jassas has had no access to legal assistance following his
arrest , and has not been kept informed of charges against him .
2- The citizen (Reza Abdul Aziz al-Ghasham ) 23 years , from
the town of al-Mobarraz in al-Ahsa , was detained on 8 June 2008
when some members of al-Mahbahith al-'Amma raided his bookshop ,
arrested him under the charge of trading Shi'a religious books.
Saudi authorities called his wife and subjected her to a long
investigation. His father Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Ghasham (a
prominent Shiite religious scholar , Imam al-Montazar mosque in
al-mobarraz town of al-Ahsa ) visited him for one time , and saw
the signs of torture on his son's body.
His family was not informed of the reasons of his arrest , also
was denied family visit.
3- The Government continued to detain nine of Shi'a citizens (
Hani Abdul Rahim al-Saygh , al-Qatif / Sihat ; Abdullah Ahmad
al-Jarrash , al-Qatif / al-Qala'a ; Hussain Moghayis , al-Qatif
/ al-Bahari ; Abdul Karim Hussein al-Nemer , al-Dammam , al-Ahsa
; Sayyid Mostafa alQassab , al-Qatif / Mayyas ; Sayyid Fadhel
al-Alawi , al-Qatif / al-Jaroudiyah ; Mustafa Ja`far al-Mo`llim
, al-Qatif / al-Jaroudiyah ; Ali al-Marhoon , al-Qatif / al-Jaroudiyah
; Salih Mahdi Ramadhan , al-Qatif /al-Jaroudiyah ) in al-Ha’ir
prison over thirteen years . They have been arrested as suspects
in the aftermath of the 1996 bombing of the U.S. military
installation at al-Khobar bombing without charges or trial.
The Saudi authorities actions against the mentioned detainees
infringe on internationally guaranteed rights of freedom of
expression and religion . Universal Declaration of Human Rights
protects the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion .
These actions breach also the Saudi Law of Criminal Procedure
which its third Article stipulates that:
No penal punishment shall be imposed on any person except in
connection with a forbidden and punishable act, whether under
Shari’ah principles or under the statutory laws, and after he
has been convicted pursuant to a final judgment rendered after a
trial conducted in accordance with Shari’ah principles.
Also the Law of Interrogation Authority and Public Prosecution
in Article 3 which says : Monitoring and inspection of prisons,
detention centers and any places where criminal sentences are
executed, as well as hearing complaints of prisoners and
detainees, insuring the legality of their imprisonment or
detention and the legality of their remaining in prison or the
detention centers after the expiry of the period, taking
necessary steps to release those imprisoned or detained without
a legitimate cause and applying the law against those
responsible for such action .
We urge you to press the Saudi Arabian authorities to release
the remaining religious prisoners in Saudi Arabia on
humanitarian grounds .
Sincerely ,
Mohammad Abul Azeem al-Hussain
CDHRAP chair
Source:
http://www.abna.ir
Date: 2010/05/27
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