SAUDI-US RELATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE

Saudi Arabia News - October 4th

SAUDI REFORMISTS BOYCOTT COURT HEARING
"Three Saudi pro-reform activists charged with causing instability and organizing petitions refused to attend a closed court session [Oct 3] set by the judge at short notice.. ..The three men had previously refused to participate in their hearings unless they were open to the public.." Complete report..
Also:
MOVES TOWARD REFORM WANE IN SAUDI ARABIA
~~GulfWire Link~~
TRIAL BEGINS FOR SAUDI REFORMISTS - GWD Aug 9, 2004
~~Saudi U.S. Relations Information Service~~
HOW TO REFORM SAUDI ARABIA WITHOUT HANDING IT TO EXTREMISTS

3 WOMEN NOMINATE THEMSELVES FOR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
"Three Saudi women have nominated themselves as candidates in the upcoming municipal elections. There has not yet been, however, a clear decision as to whether women will be allowed to participate in the elections.  Nadia Bakhurji, Fatin Bundagji and Fatma Al-Khereiji all spoke to Arab News in exclusive interviews, discussing their aims and platforms. All agreed that they want to improve the social life of Saudis.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
KINGDOM ANNOUNCES REGULATIONS FOR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS - GWD Aug 16, 2004

SAUDI WRITERS URGE MORE FREEDOM
"Saudi intellectuals called for more freedom of expression to be able to convey their views and present their works. They also said they wanted to see a conducive atmosphere to encourage publication and production of their works. In a series of recommendations adopted at the end of a three-day conference, the first ever in the Kingdom, Saudi writers, artists and intellectuals expressed full support for measures adopted by the government to root out all forms of terrorism and stressed the need for encouraging and promoting the culture of tolerance and dialogue to consolidate national unity and cohesion among the citizens of the country.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION NOT AT COST OF ISLAM: ABDULLAH - GWD Jan 19, 2004

SAUDI HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST FLAYS US REPORT ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
"A Saudi human rights activist strongly criticized the US State Department report on religious freedom in Saudi Arabia which Washington described as a source of concern, saying the United States has no right to interfere in peoples' religious convictions.. ..Dr. Abdullah Bin Saleh Al Obaid, chairman of the Saudi National Commission for Human Rights.. ..said since its founding five months ago, the commission has not received single complaint from anybody regarding violation of their religious freedom.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
U.S. SLAMS SAUDI ARABIA ON RELIGIOUS RIGHTS - GWD Sep 20, 2004

SHOTS FIRED AT SAUDI EXPATRIATE COMPOUND
"An attacker armed with a machine gun fired at an expatriate housing compound in eastern Riyadh on [Oct 1] but caused no injuries or damage.. ..The shots were fired from a moving car toward the Seder Village compound between 10 and 11 p.m. [Oct 1] in what appeared to be the latest hit-and-run strike against foreign targets in the kingdom.." Complete report..
Also:
HUNT ON FOR COMPOUND ATTACKERS

SAUDI SECURITY FORCES DETAIN SHIP CARRYING ARMS
"Saudi security forces detained a ship loaded with large quantities of arms off the coast of Jazan province in the southern part of the kingdom. The ship was detained after entering Saudi waters en route from one Arab country to another.. ..The smugglers have been detained and during the interrogation they confessed to having taken the weapons from an Arab country and were on their way to deliver the shipment to another Arab country. The identities of the two countries were not revealed.." Complete report..

MOVE TO COVER EXPAT ISSUES IN NATIONAL DIALOGUE
"There is a move to expand the National Dialogue Forum to cover the problems and issues of expatriate workers in the Kingdom, according to Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef, vice president of King Abdul Aziz National Dialogue Center.. ..There are more than seven million expatriates in the Kingdom, most of them working in the private sector.. ..Dr. Naseef also indicated that the fifth or sixth dialogue forum would be held with foreign parties such as the Federation of Roman Catholic Churches in Vatican or the Middle East Council of Churches in Beirut.." Complete report..

STEPS ADOPTED TO EXPEDITE SETTLEMENT OF LABOR DISPUTES
"The Council of Ministers [Sep 27] approved new measures to speed up settlement of labor disputes. It gave subsidiary panels of the Supreme Committee for the Settlement of Labor Disputes the authority to issue their final verdict in all appeal cases and to decide punishments as per the law. The Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Abdullah, insisted that the panels as well as primary committees give their decisions on the basis of the opinion of majority members.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
SAUDI SETS UP SEPARATE LABOR MINISTRY - GWD Mar 22, 2003

SAUDI EDICT BANS MOBILE PHONE CAMERAS
"Saudi Arabia's highest religious authority has issued an edict barring the use of cell phones with built-in cameras, blaming them for 'spreading obscenity' - a final resort after a ban on their sale and import to the kingdom failed to dent their popularity.. ..religious authorities complain camera phones are misused to photograph women without their knowledge.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
VISITORS WILL HAVE CAMERA PHONES SEIZED - GWD Sep 6, 2004

GREECE TO VOTE ON SAUDI-FUNDED ISLAMIC CENTER
"The Greek Parliament will vote next week on a bill for the long-delayed construction of a Saudi-funded Islamic center and mosque in Athens, the capital's first since the end of Ottoman rule.. ..The project, funded by Saudi Arabia together with some Arab and Islamic countries, will be the largest Islamic center project and the first in Greece, which is home to more than half a million Muslims.." Complete report..

SUSPECTED ENEMY COMBATANT STILL BEING HELD
"Yaser Esam Hamdi.. ..a U.S. citizen captured on an Afghanistan battlefield, wants to return to Saudi Arabia, where he grew up, and Secretary of State Colin Powell says he expects U.S. and Saudi authorities will be able to resolve differences to make that happen. U.S. officials said there was a minor snag in discussions with Saudi authorities over the release of Hamdi, who has been detained since late 2001 as an enemy combatant. Powell told reporters in Washington that U.S. immigration and other officials were conferring with the Saudis.." Complete report..
~~GulfWire Link~~
U.S. TO SEND 'ENEMY COMBATANT' HAMDI BACK TO SAUDI - GWD Sep 27, 2004