December 5, 2004
Letter #4 from Saudi Arabia
On Human Rights
by R. F. Burton
Private Papers

I wish I could report that human rights in the Magic Kingdom had risen to the status of African wild dogs, Longhorn fairy shrimps, or any other endangered species facing extinction. Unfortunately, it's a cold fact of life that something must first come into existence before it can be taken out.

The phantom seed of human rights was planted in the Kingdom last year in May, when the stroke-stricken King deigned to allow the first-ever independent human rights organization on the Arabian Peninsula.

Seven months later, on October 15, 2003, this phantasmal seed germinated into the Magic Kingdom's first human rights conference. Dignitaries from fifteen countries, including the United States, flocked to the occasion. After much hoopla and diplomatic hobnobbing, the conference delivered the divine "Riyadh Declaration": a cornucopia of warmth and sunshine guaranteeing freedom and respect for all things, including the planet. Following a lengthy introduction, 23 items are emphatically "declared and stressed." For those inclined, you can read the entire document at the Saudi Embassy website.

Item three of the "Riyadh Declaration" caught my wandering eye:

The illegal curtailment of freedom and violation of man's sanctity and morale is unjustifiable and is prohibited in Islamic law.

While the human rights' conference was in full swing, protesters marched through the streets of Olaya—an up-scale shopping center in downtown Riyadh near the conference. Some protesters carried banners championing women's rights; others carried photos of people who had been illegally detained in the Magic Kingdom.

The police must have known that, despite the "Riyadh Declaration," curtailing the demonstraters' freedom still fell within Islamic law, as they quickly moved in to squelch the protesters. One hundred and fifty-four of the grumblers were arrested. No one knows how many escaped.

Transcendental judgment on the protesters came from none other than the Magic Kingdom's most sapient mufti, the grandest oracle of them all, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, who, with an all-mighty nod, proclaimed that those arrested had exhibited the "morals of non-Muslims." Ah, the deepest cut of all.

Five months later, on March 15, 2004, the National Human Rights Association was formed. According to the Magic Kingdom's Minister of Culture and Information, the newly founded human rights watchdog would enjoy "the authority to deal with all matters related to human rights in the Kingdom." With teeth like that, who could doubt that human rights had finally come into existence in Saudi Arabia?

The next day, under the auspices of the National Human Rights Association, twelve individuals were arrested for:

• Criticizing the National Human Rights Association's lack of independence.
• Trying to form a human rights organization.
• Signing a petition, along with 116 other individuals in December, requesting that the government transform itself into a constitutional monarchy.

Several days after their arrest, nine of the offenders were released, but not until they had signed a pledge to stop all political and human rights activities in the Magic Kingdom. They also had to agree to stop all future discourse on reform. And they also had to agree not to speak to the media about the matter.

Three other "offenders" - Abdullah Al-Hamed, Ali Al-Demaini, and Matruk Al-Faleh - refused to sign the agreement. They are currently in court.

The three defendants wrote a letter to Crown Prince Abdulla, complaining that the trial's judges were biased, that it would be a closed trial, and that they did not expect to receive a fair trial.

Crown Prince Abdulla has been too busy to reply.

A lawyer representing the three defendants, one Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, also complained about judicial practices during the trial.

He was arrested on November 9, 2004.

The final paragraph of the "Riyadh Declaration" states:

Finally, we stress our respect and appreciation for the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a leading Islamic country in preserving human dignity and protection of human rights.

I'm sure these comforting words boost the morale of Abdullah Al-Hamed, Ali Al-Demaini, and Matruk Al-Faleh, and their lawyer, Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem.