Saudi Arabia criticises Norway human rights record
Dubai: Saudi Arabia has reportedly asked Norway to do more to protect Muslims living in the Scandinavian country and to counter campaigns against Prophet Mohammad (PBUH*).
Riyadh “called for all criticism of religion and of Prophet Mohammad to be made illegal in Norway” and noted “a continuation of hate crimes against Muslims in the country,” the UK-based Independent daily reported.
Riyadh also expressed concern at “increasing cases of domestic violence, rape crimes and inequality in riches” and noted a continuation of hate crimes against Muslims in the country, the paper reported.
Norway’s human rights record came on Monday under scrutiny during the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR), in which 14 countries are examined.
According to The Local, a Norwegian publication in English, Russia used the UPR to accuse Norway of “allowing extremist groups to operate freely” and of “moving too quickly to separate children from their parents.”
Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende, who was in Geneva on Monday to respond to sharp criticism, had earlier told Norway’s NTB newswire that many of the countries that criticised Norway could not boast of “spotless human rights records.”
“It is a paradox that countries which do not support fundamental human rights have influence on the council, but that is the United Nations,” he said, quoted by The Local.
The United Nations promotes the UPR as “a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all UN Member States.”
“The UPR is a State-driven process, under the auspices of the Human Rights Council, which provides the opportunity for each State to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfil their human rights obligations.”
Norway was the first country to be reviewed by the Universal Periodic Review Working Group during the current session held in Geneva from April 28 to May 9…
(* – Peace be upon him as he tramples free speech ‘neath his dusty sandals and his deluded, extremist followers attempt to kill every last atheist non-believer so that he may rule supreme”, at least, I think that is what it means… But that’s organised religion for you)
Just a thought, but (lifted from above) Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende said:
“It is a paradox that countries which do not support fundamental human rights have influence on the council, but that is the United Nations.”
Hmm. I wonder what he means,,,
Saudi Arabia court increases sentence for editor behind liberal website
A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced the editor of an internet forum he founded to discuss the role of religion in the country to 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes, according to reports in the Saudi media.
Raif Badawi, who started the Free Saudi Liberals website, was originally sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes in July last year, but an appeals court overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial.
Apart from imposing a stiffer sentence on Badawi in his retrial, the judge at the criminal court in Jeddah also fined him 1m riyals (£160,000). Badawi’s website has been closed since his first trial.
His lawyers said the sentence was too harsh, although the prosecutor had demanded a harsher penalty, the news website Sabq reported. The ruling is subject to appeal.
The prosecution had demanded that Badawi be tried for apostasy, a charge that carries the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. The judge in last year’s trial had dismissed the apostasy charges.
Badawi was arrested in June 2012 and charged with cyber crime and disobeying his father.
His website included articles that were critical of senior religious figures such as Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti, according to Human Rights Watch.
In a separate ruling on Tuesday, the court also convicted the administrator of a website on charges of supporting internet forums hostile to the state and which promoted demonstrations, Sabq reported. It said he was sentenced to six years in jail and a 50,000 riyal (£7,860) fine.
Sabq said another Saudi was sentenced to five years in jail for publishing a column by a prominent Shia Muslim cleric on his website.
Rattled by the uprisings that have destabilised the Middle East, Riyadh has intensified a crackdown on domestic dissent with arrests and prosecutions.
In April, prominent Saudi rights lawyer and activist Waleed Abu al-Khair was detained incommunicado after appearing in court in Riyadh on sedition charges, according to his wife.
Also in April, a Saudi court sentenced an unidentified activist to six years in jail on charges including taking part in illegal demonstrations and organising women’s protests.
Another was sentenced to three years in jail for spreading lies against King Abdullah and inciting the public against him.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/07/saudi-arabia-court-editor-liberal-website
Bingo.
Ah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia… a wonderful place for intolerance – some of you would enjoy it there.
And the King – and his family – making or allowing rules on thought-crime and ignoring human rights – whilst lambasting other nations for their human rights record; such hypocrisy.
Just remember which nation is apparently happy to be high on the export lists for terrorists and ‘freedom’ fighters, yet cracks down hard on the slightest mention of democracy within its own borders..
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May 9, 2014 at 9:41 am