Senator Richard Black speaks of Middle East’s true ‘axis of evil’ Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia

October 26, 2016 By administrator

Republican member of the Virginia State Senate Richard Hayden Black talks to Press TV about ties between Washington and Daesh, further exposing the true “axis of evil” in the Middle East.

The American official said in a Tuesday interview that the war in Syria would have been over by now if the US had put an end to its intervention when Russia entered the war-ravaged country.

“If the United States had just stayed out of it at that point, the war would be over by now; people would be rebuilding, refugees would be returning back to Syria, but the United States rushed anti-Tank missiles, and we used these so-called moderate rebels as a conduit to supply al-Nusra, which is al-Qaeda in Syria,” he noted.

“If we were not supporting the war in Syria, I believe that the Syrians, combined with their allied forces from Iran, Lebanon and Russia… would move very steadily and restore the borders of Syria.”

Moderates vs. Takfiris

The senate member refused to distinguish between the so-called moderate rebels and the Takfiri terrorists fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, saying, the two are “thoroughly integrated.”

“They really are one and the same; they’re part of the same army,” he said, citing a US defense intelligence agency’s investigation in 2013, which showed Washington’s ties with the Takfiris.

The outspoken state senator referred to plans by the CIA to transfer arms from Libya to Turkey and from there to Syria to supply the moderate rebels, noting that the move “evolved into an indiscriminate program of supplying all rebels, including specifically ISIS (Daesh) and al-Qaeda.”

“We do it indirectly because it’s unlawful to do it directly,” he said, adding that the US keeps “extremely violent organizations… off the terrorist watch list because these are the agents that take our weapons and then distribute them to ISIS (Daesh) and al-Qaeda.”

Syria’s fall threat to US

In response to a question by Press TV host Kaveh Taghvai on why Iran and Russia are portrayed as the “bad guys,” while they are the ones really fighting terrorism there, as put recently by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, Black said the Republican candidate has a “clear understanding of what’s happening over there.”

“Sometimes, his rhetoric has to match the political mood of the moment… but I know a number of his advisers and they believe that our determination to topple the government in Syria is suicidal, that it threatens not only the entire Middle East but literally the entire world.”

He further warned that the US itself could be “threatened,” arguing that, “if Syria falls, it will be dominated by some al-Qaeda-related organization; Lebanon will fall; Jordan will fall and the entire area will be destabilized.”

Turkey threatens the West

The Vietnam war veteran also elaborated on his personal definition of the Middle East “axis of evil,” naming Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and “particularly” Turkey over their support for terrorism.

“Probably, three quarters of the rebels are not Syrian at all; they are mercenaries recruited by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” he asserted, describing the three countries as “the primary force behind the terrorist movement.”

“Turkey has invaded Iraq and Syria with heavy military forces. Turkey has really become a rogue nation,” he added, referring to a 1923 treaty that set the border between Turkey and Greece, saying that was even being questioned by President Rececp Tayyip Erdogan.

“And now you see this emerging threat against Western Europe by Turkey,” he noted, further adding that Erdogan “has made it clear that he looks to resurrection of the Ottoman Empire.”

“He has become more and more aggressive; he’s crushed the military, the free press; every powerful institution of the Turkish government has come under his iron fist and he’s now a total dictator. He’s a man who has said that he wants the constitution amended so that he will have power similar to those of Adolf Hilter… This is our great ally; we’re allied with a man who would be Hitler.”

Mercenaries of Wahhabism

He also blasted Washington’s alliance with Saudi Arabia, “where women are not allowed to walk out in the front yard to pick up the newspaper without a man’s permission; they can’t drive a car!”

“Somehow, this is part of the liberalization that we seek to impose on the Middle East,” he said ironically, calling it “bizarre.”

He also praised the resistance against the Saudi aggression by the people of Yemen, saying, “God bless them! The Yemenis are giving the Saudis a bloody nose,” despite being a “tiny little, poor nation.”

Source: http://presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/26/490707/Senator-exposes-USISIL-ties-Nusra-Qaeda-Syria-Assad

Obama rather protects Turkish and Saudi Interest over American People concern, vetoes bill allowing 9/11 victims to sue Saudi

September 23, 2016 By administrator

Robert Peraza, who lost his son Robert David Peraza, pauses at his son’s name at the North Pool of the 9/11 Memorial during tenth anniversary ceremonies at the site of the World Trade Center in New York, September 11, 2011. © Justin Lane / Reuters

President Barack Obama has vetoed the legislation that would allow families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. The bill passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate and was met with widespread public support.

Known as “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act” or JASTA, the bill creates an exemption to the doctrine of sovereign immunity established by a 1976 law, thus allowing US citizens to sue foreign countries for terrorism that kills Americans on US soil.

Fifteen out of 19 men who hijacked commercial airliners and used them as missiles to target the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 were subjects of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Two were from the United Arab Emirates.

The Senate passed JASTA in May, while the House voted on it just before the 15th anniversary of 9/11.

Republican majority leaders in Congress are confident they have enough votes to override the veto.

“There will be a roll call vote on the veto override,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) told reporters on Tuesday. “Our assumption is that the veto will be overridden.”

“My message to the caucus is going to be, unless there are 34 people willing to fall on their swords over this, it’s probably not worth falling on your sword over,” said Bob Corker (R-Tennessee), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) called the veto a “disappointing decision that will be swiftly and soundly overturned” in a statement on Friday.

“If the Saudis did nothing wrong, they should not fear this legislation. If they were culpable in 9/11, they should be held accountable. The families of the victims of 9/11 deserve their day in court,” Schumer added.

Saudi Arabia unsuccessfully tried to block the bill, using the services of its many lobbyists in Washington.

Following the House vote, the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council expressed“deep concern”, with Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani calling JASTA “contrary to the foundations and principles of relations between states and the principle of sovereign immunity enjoyed by states,” AP reported.

The government of Qatar said the bill “violates international law, particularly the principle of sovereign equality between states,” according to Reuters.

Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, said the bill contradicted “established norms of the international law,” according to the Egyptian state news agency MENA.

Obama offered $115bn arms sales to Saudi Arabia: Report

September 8, 2016 By administrator

The administration of US President Barack Obama has offered Saudi Arabia $115 billion in arms sales, a report seen by Reuters has found.

The offer, including weapons, other military equipment and training, is the highest the United States has offered in its 71-year alliance with the monarchy, the agency reported Wednesday.

Authored by William Hartung of the US-based Center for International Policy, the report said the offers were made in 42 separate deals and most of what they consist are yet to be delivered.

According to Reuters, “US arms offers to Saudi Arabia since Obama took office in January 2009 have included everything from small arms and ammunition to tanks, attack helicopters, air-to-ground missiles, missile defense ships, and warships. Washington also provides maintenance and training to Saudi security forces.”

Hartung’s report was based on data from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

“It’s time for the Obama administration to use the best leverage it has – Saudi Arabia’s dependence on U.S. weapons and support – to wage the war in Yemen in the first place,” Hartung said. “The more recent deals that have involved resupplying Saudi Arabia with ammunition, bombs, and tanks to replace weaponry used up or damaged in the war in Yemen are no doubt driven in part by the effort to ‘reassure’ the Saudis that the U.S. will not tilt towards Iran in the wake of the nuclear deal.”

He further suggested that, “Pulling back the current offer of battle tanks or freezing some of the tens of billions in weapons and services in the pipeline would send a strong signal to the Saudi leadership that they need stop their indiscriminate bombing campaign and take real steps to prevent civilian casualties.”

Saudi Arabia has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015, with the UN putting the death toll from the military aggression at about 10,000.

According to the Control Arms Coalition, a group that is campaigning against arms sales, Britain, France and the US are violating the 2014 Arms Trade Treaty by exporting conventional weapons to a country engaged in war crimes.

Last month, the Obama administration approved a potential $1.15 billion arms package for the Saudi monarchy.

Mass rally in Yemen in defiance of Saudi airstrikes

August 20, 2016 By administrator

mass-rally-yemen A massive rally has been held in Sanaa in support of Houthi rebels and thier allies. It comes a week after parliament approved a new ruling council.

In a show of force, hundreds of thousands of flag-waving Yemenis rallied on Saturday in the capital Sanaa in support of Houthi rebels and their ally, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The protest was held in support of a 10-member ruling council set up last month by the Houthis and Saleh allies in defiance of the country’s internationally recognized president, Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi.

It comes a week after parliament convened for the first time in two years to approve the council after UN-backed peace talks between the warring parties broke down last month.

Hadi, the UN and Saudi Arabia have condemned the council and called it illegitimate.

Saleh al-Samad, the head of the council, told the rally a new government would be decided on in the “next few days.”

The protestors also shouted slogans condemning the Saudi-led military campaign, which has rained further destruction on the Arab world’s poorest state since a restart of operations that followed the breakdown of peace talks.

Saudi-led coaltion jets conducted airstrikes around Sana’a as the demonstration unfolded, including targeting of the presidential palace.

The Saudi-led coalition of Arab states intervened in March 2015 to restore power to Hadi, who was forced to flee the country after Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Saleh took over the capital and other parts of the country in September 2014.

Despite the coalition campaign, Hadi allied forces on the ground have failed to dislodge Houthis from large parts of the country, including the capital.

The conflict has killed at least 6,400 people and displaced nearly 2.5 million, prompting rising international calls for the coalition to halt bombing and the US to withdraw intelligence and air-refueling support. Nearly 80 percent of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance.

The fighting has also opened up room for al-Qaeda and the so-called “Islamic State” to operate.

cw/rc (AP, dpa)

Three Coordinated bombings rock Saudi Arabia

July 5, 2016 By administrator

saudi bombing (DW) Three coordinated suicide bombings have shaken Saudi Arabia, including one near Islam’s second holiest site. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attacks which came a day before the end of Ramadan.

Saudi and Turkish backing of Islamist rebel groups – and, in the case of Turkey, turning a blind eye until last year to a stream of weapons and fighters entering Syria from its territory – have opened both countries to accusations of following policies that have help fuel the rise of “IS” and other extremist groups.

Three separate suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia on Monday left at least four police dead and several people wounded, just a day before the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

There was no claim of responsibility for the coordinated attacks, including one near the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Islam’s second-holiest site and the burial place of Muhammad.

Tens of thousands had gathered to pray at the mosque for evening prayers when security guards approached a suspicious man at a nearby parking lot.

“Security forces suspected a man who was heading towards Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (the Prophet’s Mosque) as he passed through a visitors’ parking lot,” the interior ministry said in a statement.

“As they tried to stop him, he blew himself up with an explosive belt causing his death, and the death of four security personnel,” said the statement. Five others were also injured.

Undeterred worshippers continued to pray, Saudi television showed, as a plume of black smoke rose near the mosque.

An attack on Islam

Al-Qaeda and the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) have regularly carried out attacks in the conservative Kingdom, which is considered heretical and corrupt by the global jihadist movements. IS has vowed to up the number of attacks during Ramadan, which officially ends on Wednesday with the start of the three day Eid al-Fitr (breaking the fast holiday).

Saudi journalist Khalid Al Maenna told DW News that groups like IS were trying to sow chaos and confusion in the Kingdom. He said an attack on one of Islam’s three most holy sites was an affront to all Muslims.

“To touch the Prophet’s mosque is very upsetting to any Muslim,” Al Maenna said, adding the attack showed the extremists were weak.

At the same time as the evening attack in Medina, in the east of the country a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque in the Shiite-populated city of Qatif on the Gulf coast.

There were conflicting reports about causalities. The Saudi interior ministry said they were investigating the remains of three bodies, indicating there may have been more than one suicide bomber.

Mohammed al-Nimr, a resident of Qatif and brother of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was executed in January on charges of inciting anti-government protests, told the Associated Press that there were no casualties.

Al-Nimr’s execution caused a diplomatic spat with Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran, whose foreign minister Javad Zarif condemned the attack in Medina.

The two evening mosque attacks were preceded by an early Monday morning suicide blast near a mosque and the US consulate in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

Two security officers were wounded after they approached a suspicious looking man who blew himself up. The Saudi interior ministry said the bomber was a 35-year-old private driver from Pakistan who had been living in Jeddah for 12 years with his wife and her parents.

The German Embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh condemned all of the attacks.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been close regional partners, especially in Syria, where alongside Qatar and the United States they have backed Syria rebels groups in a bid to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Saudi and Turkish backing of Islamist rebel groups – and, in the case of Turkey, turning a blind eye until last year to a stream of weapons and fighters entering Syria from its territory – have opened both countries to accusations of following policies that have help fuel the rise of “IS” and other extremist groups.

Both countries deny the accusations and participate in the US-led coalitions against IS.

Erdogan’s Ottoman Ambitions Lead to Ties With Islamists – French Lawmaker

April 15, 2016 By administrator

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Ottoman ambitions to spread his influence across parts of Europe and Syria have forced Ankara into dangerous alliances with Islamists, a member of the French legislative defense commission told Sputnik Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Svetlana Alexandrova – On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the Direct Line Q&A session that the Turkish government is fighting extremists in the country less than it is cooperating with such groups.

“Mr. Erdogan is playing a very dangerous game trying to recreate the Ottoman Empire across parts of Europe and Syria for this purpose Mr. Erdogan is trying to secure a wide range of partners among Islamists and build connections with the Wahhabi regime of Saudi Arabia,” Nicolas Dhuicq said.

The lawmaker noted that Saudi Arabia’s King Salman visits Ankara these days as a personal guest of the Turkish President “who is an Islamist himself.”

According to Dhuicq, Erdogan’s plan includes attempts “to inhabit the border and some Syrian villages of the north of the country with Turkic-speaking people, trading oil with Iraqi Kurds and using its military might on [the Kurdistan Workers’ Party] PKK’s rebels and the Syrian Kurds.”

Sputnik Turkey ‘Blocked for Providing Alternative, Objective Information’

Tensions between Ankara and Turkey’s Kurdish population escalated in July 2015 as fighting between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a pro-independence organization considered to be a terrorist group by Ankara, and the Turkish army resumed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan alleges over 5,000 Kurdish insurgents have been killed in the campaign since mid-December, a figure that pro-Kurdish officials contend includes hundreds of civilians.

The Ottoman Empire preceded modern Turkey. It encompassed most of present-day Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, among other territories, including in Europe.

Source: sputniknews.com

Davutoglu Islamic Armey of Turkey, Saudi Arabia to hold joint drills

February 10, 2016 By administrator

Turkey and Saudi Arabia will hold joint military drills as part of a decision to strategically cooperate against common threats, sources have told daily Hürriyet.
Turkish Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar’s visit to Saudi Arabia in late January, which had coincided with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s official visit to the country, brought about a decision to hold joint military exercises with the participation of the two countries’ armies.
Sources speaking on condition of anonymity said a decision for “the strategic cooperation against common threats” had been made during the meeting in Riyadh.
The visit was not to discuss the coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) facilities in Syria but rather conducted to strengthen mutual ties between the two states and armies, according to the sources.
The “Islam army,” which Saudi Arabia had announced to be formed on Dec. 15, 2015, consisting of 34 Sunni Islam states, to fight terrorism amid a continuing war on jihadists in the Middle East and elsewhere, was not on the agenda of the meetings in Riyadh.
The visit coming right before Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates declaring they were ready to send troops and special forces to Syria under the U.S.-led anti-ISIL coalition was also a coincidence, the sources said, adding Turkey was distancing itself from both of the issues.
“The togetherness that is being mentioned [by Saudi Arabia] cannot actually be called an ‘Islam army.’ Even if there is such an initiative, Turkey will not be a part of its military branch,” said a senior Turkish official.

Saudi Arabia: the Devil’s Playground “Global markets roller-coaster ride”

February 4, 2016 By administrator

By Pepe Escobar

Global markets continue on a roller-coaster ride two weeks after this column revealed how Saudi Arabia had been unloading at least $1 trillion in US securities, crashing global markets in parallel to its market share/oil price war.

The House of Saud may even hold more than $8 trillion in US Treasury bonds and stocks; that depends on how much of the Aramco profits they monopolized, and how well they invested.

A New York investment banker with solid Saudi connections confirms the Saudis coordinate their major oil moves with Goldman Sachs “and others” (he did not specify), so as not to antagonize Wall Street.

This would mean the House of Saud share in the profits with Goldman Sachs through derivatives in their oil trades. And this spells out a multi-trillion US dollar bonanza both to the Saudis and to Wall Street — considering some serious action could flow through partners of Goldman Sachs and others offshore to conceal the massive volumes.

The only thing that has filtered so far is that Goldman Sachs is not exactly in the business of antagonizing the House of Saud.

Show me the money

According to a House of Saud-related source, the share of the roughly 12,000 royal family members absorbs 40% of Aramco’s oil profits. Two years ago, according to the source, this would have represented $146 billion a year in today’s dollars. Considering the astronomical increase of oil prices in 1973, 43 years ago, that would have yielded $6.2 trillion just for the House of Saud.

Apart from palaces crammed with golden faucets, yachts in the Cote d’Azur, or purple Lamborghinis, it’s fair to assume most of it went to US Treasuries and securities. Then there are the state reserves — 60% of Aramco’s profits; $ 219 billion, which times 43 make $9.4 trillion. These funds could not have possibly been all spent.

Saudi investments may have been badly hurt by Goldman Sachs and others during the 2008 market crash. Yet the source says the House of Saud was duly informed ahead of time — so they lost nothing.

The key point is the House of Saud may be swimming in a — secret — sea of money, and not being engulfed by the desert of debt default.

The notion that the population of Saudi Arabia, according to the IMF, may have to face serious government austerity — after the House of Saud-provoked “worst oil price crash in modern history”, engineered to punish Russia, Iran and US shale producers — is nothing short of ludicrous.

Riyadh is on a major spin spree on the need to “transform” its economy away from oil. The House of Saud is set to slash subsidies on water and electricity, with fuel subsidies further on down the road.

According to the IMF Saudi Arabia may be running a deficit of around $140 billion. But what about that secret stash of US Treasuries and securities?

And they are also “losing” China

Meanwhile, the House of Saud market share part of its oil price crash strategy is unraveling even in China. Russia and Saudi Arabia are now both enjoying roughly the same Chinese market share — around the 14% range — with Russia keeping the upper hand because Moscow accepts payments in yuan.

The House of Saud though is locked up in its petrodollar prison. Any attempt of escaping will be severely punished by the Masters of he Universe — those that send their minions to “debate” the future in places such as Davos.

And this yuan/petrodollar disparity — with Moscow soon to distance Riyadh as China’s top oil supplier — is one of the key reasons why there does not seem to be a Russian-Saudi oil price “grand bargain” deal in the horizon. The other reason is Russia — and Iran — will only accept an oil deal if Saudi Arabia accepts a political — Syrian — deal.

As Petroleum Intelligence Weekly has reported, Moscow’s proposal remains on the table; it’s open for a 5% output cut by OPEC (including Iran and Iraq) and non-OPEC producers.

What’s certainly advancing under the radar is something way more serious; a Russia/China-based alternative monetary system. That’s why the Russian Central Bank is basically not interfering with the fall of the ruble parallel to the fall in oil prices.

Russia will need a lot of rubles for the Russia/China monetary system. So Moscow’s strategy is to buy rubles back from the flooded market at rock-bottom prices, using artificially boosted dollars and euros. Russia’s treasury, meanwhile, also bought Russian companies shares at low market prices while repatriating at least 30% of Russian oil shares previously owned by foreigners.

Would this also help to convince the Saudis that their oil price crash strategy is leading nowhere? There’s no evidence so far.

Meanwhile, Warrior Prince Mohammed bin Salman continues to practically sit on the throne — out of deference to his father, ailing King Salman. Rumors of a Riyadh coup persist. The key will be the extent of US support for Mohammed bin Nayef; the real Masters of the Universe over Washington won’t tolerate the erratic Warrior Prince succeeding his father.

So the bottom line, as a House of Saud-linked source summed it up, is that “the Saudis are staying — for now — with the devil they know (the US) rather than the devil that they don’t know (Russia).” All that of course may change in an instant if the alarmed Riyadh royals conclude that the devil they know is up to its tried and tested regime change tricks. But then, it will be too late.

Source: sputniknews.com

Saudi Arabia beheads Egyptian national

January 27, 2016 By administrator

A Saudi man sentenced to death is seen knelt moments before being beheaded in Saudi Arabia. (File photo)

Saudi Arabia has beheaded an Egyptian national after sentencing him to death on charges related to robbery and murder.

The convicted Egyptian man, identified as Mahmud Jumaa Morsi, was beheaded in the capital Riyadh on Wednesday, the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The man was found guilty of fatally strangling and robbing a Saudi citizen, the ministry added.

According to AFP tallies, the latest execution brings to 54 the number of locals and foreigners put to death this year.

In the most stunning case, Saudi Arabia executed on January 2 Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr along 46 other people in defiance of international calls for the release of the prominent Shia cleric and other jailed political dissidents in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia carried out 153 executions, including 71 foreign nationals, in 2015. This number of executions in terms of annual basis in Saudi Arabia has been unseen since 1995.

Beheading with a sword is the most common form of execution in Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh has been under fire for having one of the world’s highest execution rates.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Saudi regime to abolish its “ghastly” beheadings.

Under the Saudi law, apostasy, armed robbery, drug trafficking, rape and murder carry the death penalty. Most Saudi executions are carried out by beheading with a sword.

Source: presstv

Saudi Aribia: Amnesty International Hrant Dink Award laureate Samar Badawi released on bail

January 19, 2016 By administrator

Receiving International Hrant Dink Award last year, Saudi human rights defender Samar Badawi was arrested yesterday. Today, she released on bail.

According to Amnesty International’s report, Samar Badawi was arrested in the morning on 12 January in Jeddah and transferred along with her two-year-old daughter Joud to a police station.

Amnesty International released a statement on Badawi’s arrestment:

“After four hours of questioning, she was transferred to Dhabhan prison and is due to appear before a prosecutor tomorrow. She is believed to have been arrested at least partly in connection with her alleged role in managing a Twitter account campaigning for the release of her former husband, the imprisoned human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair.

“Just weeks after Saudi Arabia shocked the world by executing 47 people in a single day, including the Shi’a Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, it has once again demonstrated its utter disregard for human rights. Samar Badawi has been arrested purely for peacefully exercising her right to freedom of expression, she must be immediately and unconditionally released.

“In December 2014 the Ministry of Interior issued a travel ban on Samar Badawito prevent her from travelling to Brussels for a human rights event.

“Samar Badawi’s former husband, Waleed Abu al-Khair, is serving a 15-year prison sentence also in connection with his work protecting and defending human rights in Saudi Arabia. Hundreds of thousands of Amnesty International’s supporters campaigned for his release during its December 2015 Write for Rights Campaign.

“She is also the sister of the imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for setting up a website for public debate. He received the first 50 lashes just over a year ago. They are both prisoners of conscience who must be immediately and unconditionally released.”

Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme, also spoke about this issue: “Samar Badawi’s arrest today is yet another alarming setback for human rights in Saudi Arabia and demonstrates the extreme lengths to which the authorities are prepared to go in their relentless campaign to harass and intimidate human rights defenders into silent submission.”

Badawi received Hrant Dink Award in 2015 due to her reactions against the human rights violations in Saudi Arabia.