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imageSaudi has been in the news for the last few weeks, not only for their involvement with ISIS and the Yemen, but for a very home grown reason.

Firstly, for the advertisement for 8 more executioners to keep up with demand and then shockingly for the death penalty figures so far this year.

Not knowing much of the law of the land over there I decided to do some researching and even I was blown away by the strictures put down in this Monarchist dictatorship. I cannot in my wildest dreams imagine a human being who would wish to live under such a lack of human kindness. I have been reading up on Sharia Law for some months now and it doesn’t make for good reading.

On Monday 15th June 2015, they beheaded their 99th and 100th prisoner respectively.

  • Ismael al-Tawn –  A Syrian – convicted of drug trafficking of amphetamines
  • Ram al-Khadi     – A Saudi – for murder

The Saudi Press Agency said in a news release that only 14 of the 100 prisoners were convicted of a crime which in Islamic Law mandates the death penalty, the others were based on the Judges discretion. Of the 100 executions 57 have been Saudi’s the other 43 have been of foreign descent with Pakistan (14)  being the second largest number to be executed.

To put this into perspective in the whole of 2014 the execution count was 88. They are well on their way to beat their previous highest count of 192 in 1995.  At present the countries with the highest tally of executions as of 2014  are as follows:-

  • IRAN –  289
  • * SAUDI ARABIA – 88
  • IRAQ – 61
  • UNITED STATES  –35

It is believed the country to top the charts would be China which has a yearly figure estimated to be in the 1,000’s but there are no official figures reported. Iran has executed 340 prisoners so far this year with 98 hangings alone between 9th-28th April.

*Saudi Arabia has the smallest population of the other listed countries.

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW

imageSaudi Arabia is an Absolute Monarchy and has no legally binding written constitution. In 1992, the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia was adopted by Royal Decree.  It declares that the King must comply with Sharia Law and that the Quran and Sunna (traditions of Mohammed) are the country’s constitution.

MODIFIED SHARIA LAW

Most Muslim countries that retain or adopt Sharia usually determine which parts will be enforceable and modernise them. Unlike other Muslim countries, Saudi regards an unmodernised Sharia in its entirety as the law of the land and refuses to interfere with it.

CRIMINAL LAW

There are no jury trials in Saudi and courts observe few formalities.  A criminal procedure code was introduced in 2001, but in a Human Rights Watch report in 2008, it noted

the Judges were either ignorant of the code or were aware of it but routinely ignored it

Criminal law within Sharia has three categories namely :-

  • QISAS – Eye-for-an-eye punishment (i.e murder or involving bodily harm)
  • HUDUD –  fixed Quranic punishments for specific crimes
  • TAZIR – which represents most other cases ( bribery,drug trafficking etc)

A conviction requires proof in one of three ways :-

  • A confession
  • *Testimony from 2 male witnesses
  • Affirmation or denial by oath.

* At this point let me clarify who  the Judge will take for testimony if there are not 2 male witnesses. Women’s evidence normally carries half the weight of a man in Sharia courts, however,in criminal trials a woman’s evidence is not allowed at all.  Testimony from Non-muslims or Muslims whose doctrines are considered unacceptable ( e.g. Shia) and may be discounted.

FAMILY LAW

imageMen can divorce their wives at any time, without needing recourse to legal avenues.  The divorce is final immediately, a woman can only obtain a divorce with the consent of her husband and in reality this is very rare, it is almost impossible for a woman to do so.  In the event of a divorce father’s have automatic custody of sons from the age of 7 and daughters from the age of 9.

Polygamy is permitted for men to have up to four wives at any time so divorce is very common and makes for unlimited polygamy for the men. The divorce rate among marriages in Saudi is 50%.

Women have almost non existent political and social rights. There is no law criminalising violence against women and in fact Saudi is 131 of 135 countries with a gender parity, they are ahead of Syria, Chad, Pakistan and Yemen.

PENAL CODE

There is no penal code in Saudi

WHAT JUSTIFIES THE DEATH PENALTY IN SAUDI

  • Murder
  • Apostasy
  • Blasphemy
  • Idolatry
  • Homosexuality
  • Sedition
  • Witchcraft and Sorcery ( a Lebanese fortune teller was given the death sentence in 2008  later reprieved
  • Adultery
  • Drug Trafficking

HUMAN RIGHTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

MUTAWA

The religious police enforce the Islamic code of behaviour.  There are estimated to be 20,000 Mutawa who are untrained in law enforcement,  their job is to keep the sexes separate in public, that business’s close at prayer times and pressures women to wear traditional dress and prevent them driving cars.

In 2002, 15 schoolgirls died in a fire at their school in Mecca after the Mutawa prevented male rescuers from entering because the girls were not veiled.

CENSORSHIP

Saudi censorship is one of the most restrictive in the world.  After protest in 2011 the government banned all public demonstrations and marches.

No political parties or national elections are permitted in Saudi. there is no legal protection for freedom of speech and any public criticism of the government, Islam or the royal family is punishable.  The Saudi Press is strictly censored.

LGBT

Homosexuality is punishable by death.  However, there have been no executions for homosexuality since 2002. There have been arrests at ‘gay parties’  and where ‘men were acting as women’   but the penalties have been limited to imprisonment and/or flogging.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

@!
No faith other than islam is allowed, there are no churches of non-muslim places of worship.  Even private prayer is forbidden in practice and the Saudi Police regularly search the houses of christians.  foreign workers must observe Ramadan and are not allowed to celebrate Easter or Christmas etc.

In 2014, the Saudi authorities issued a Royal Decree branding all atheists as terrorists and are now being put on trial in the terrorist court. We are all aware of the terrible history Raif Badawi has has had with the Saudi Courts and the criticism of Saudi around the world.

SAUDI SEEKS TO HEAD UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

Yes, you heard it here, Saudi are trying to move to assume leadership over the Human Rights Council after Germany relinquishes it in 2016.

This would of course be the final nail in the coffin for the credibility of the the UN Human Rights Council.They shouldn’t even be on the council to begin with , how can a regime that oppresses women, other religions, LGBT amongst many other human rights violations  and imprisons an innocent man for blogging!

Saudi rates as the highest in human trafficking  and the United States currently designates it as a “country of particular concern”, regarding religious persecution. (laughably not of so much concern they have arms deals with them amongst other things)

At present there has been no announcement of the candidates for the new 2016 presidency, lets hope they get their act together and pass on Saudi!

IN CONCLUSION

After researching for this piece I have to say i was both shocked and speechless. Im amazed people can still breathe under this regime. A Saudi delegate went to France after the Paris attacks and stood with politicians and leaders of so many foreign countries purposefully there to confirm that freedom of speech should be for everyone and not to be silenced.

How did that Saudi idiot stand there with a straight face when there are no human rights in his own country. Where people are pretty much terrorised and oppressed if they do not conform to Islamic ideology. A mythological ideology may I add. Let us forget for a moment that Sharia Law is a pathetic tool to keep people within a religion or die if they leave. How can they in all honesty sit on a Human Rights Council  and disallow foreign workers from practicing their own religious or non religious beliefs.!

Im stunned truly. Islam preaches the west should be tolerant and respectful of their myth and I am saying it is a two way street.. start bloody respecting ours!

Firstly… If you get time this week please check out some of the rules and regulations given to foreigners and you will see what I mean

Secondly… never travel to Saudi Arabia

Stay safe people and speak out every chance you get FreeRaifBadawi

 

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