Just a quick update on the Hamza Kashgari case since many people have been asking: The young man is now in detention, his family visited him and he is reportedly in high spirits and being treated respectfully. Several sites and petitions have been set up to support him and call for his release. Prominent human [...]
Category Archives: News
Saudi Writer Hamza Kashgari Flees Country After Controversy on Twitter
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 – 1:45
UPDATE 2/12/12 03:09ET: Hamza Kashgari has been deported to Saudi Arabia by Malaysian authorities, several news agencies reported. Malaysian human rights lawyers say they had a judge order to stop the deportation, but by the time they reached the airport the plane already took off. Hamza Kashgari, a young Saudi writer, caused a firestorm when [...]
Saudi Women Driving: Shifting Gears
Sunday, February 5, 2012 – 19:26
The campaign for women driving has slowed down almost to a halt since the big push last June, but the issue is now making a comeback as activists seek a different route. On Saturday, two women filed lawsuits against the government for refusing to issue them driver’s licenses and banning them from driving a car. [...]
Riding the Wave
Friday, January 6, 2012 – 1:11
For some reason, the government here finds itself compelled to get involved in organizing cultural events even when they suck at it. Why? Maybe because they don’t allow non-governmental organizations that usually play such roles in other countries. Or maybe because they want to keep the matters of arts and culture under control. Anyway, they [...]
On the Statement and Shameless Apologists
Sunday, December 25, 2011 – 20:10
Two stories were the focus of much debate and discussion in Saudi Arabia recently: a) the trial of what the local media likes to call the “Jeddah cell,” a group of reform activists accused of terrorism and plotting to overthrow the monarchy; and b) the tragic events in Qatif that resulted in the death of [...]
First Look: Al-Sharq, Newcomer to Saudi Media
Sunday, November 13, 2011 – 23:58
The latest player on the Saudi media scene was born this week, and its creators decided to deliver it on a very special date: November 11, 2011, at exactly 11:11 KSA time. Al-Sharq will also be the 11th general interest national daily newspaper in the country. I say ‘will’ because although the website was launched [...]
Are We Fine? Two Saudi Men Detained over YouTube Video
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 – 12:13
Two Saudi men were detained Sunday in relation to a YouTube video they produced about poverty in Riyadh, colleagues said. Feras Bughnah and Hosam al-Deraiwish were called by the police for questioning Sunday afternoon, and they are still in authorities custody in the police station in Sahafa district in northern Riyadh. “We asked the guard [...]
