Saudi Arabia Confirms Detention Of Blogger

AP:

Saudi authorities have detained a popular blogger for violating the kingdom's laws, a senior Interior Ministry official said Tuesday. It was the first known arrest of a Saudi online critic.

The blogger, Fouad al-Farhan, was being questioned by security authorities, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Monsour al-Turki said. He added the blogger might be released on Wednesday but did not elaborate.

Read the whole story: AP

Comments

[plutorage]

I wonder why they used a photo over the headline of somebody handcuffed in an orange jump suit. that would be American treatment of prisoners, I believe.

Probably this blogger fellow is in a cell where he can receive his family and get food, etc. and they will tell him he is under investigation and a report will be made. They can keep you a long time and it kind of chills your bad behavior, a little like being kept after school but much scarier.

Now if he were gay that would be different. They would give him 500 lashes and then behead him.

[reactionrynihilist]

Why did we pull our troops out of Saudi Arabia? Why after defending them from Iraq and freeing Kuwait did we allow the monarchs to retain control? I was in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War and they have no respect for us there, they treated us like we were the help and basically said that to us. We should be energy independant and let them sort themselves out. This administration thinks letting them dupe us is good business practice, but we all won't be able to retire in Dubai.

[realitytrumpsbull]

Yahoo! in China dimed somebody out to the government there...comes down to the question
of whether the Internets is truly an extension
of free speech, or more of a flytrap to
ensnare the opposition before they can get
anywhere. The above example also raises more
questions as to why we still do business with
that country. The answer's pretty straightforward, we need their oil, but that's
kind of a common theme these days, oil oil oil,
and if that's allowed to distort our principles
among them being free speech, what does that
portend for OUR national future? How long
before that kind of thinking catches on, here?
I think if you got something to say, you should
say it. Get it off your chest. The part where
it becomes questionable is when it starts looking like you have a violent intent or are
trying to incite others that way. But, shy of
that, you're welcome to criticize all day long
and put up your own ideas of how you think things should go, in our country at least,
although sometimes I wonder if we really
live up to the billing, brings me back to
what I said earlier about the future.
Myself, I'd prefer a world where it's 'blogo, ergo sum', than 'shut up and be happy, citizen'.
And, if other countries want to do business
or come to ours, then they should respect our
national values and stuff.

[steamboat]

I notice THIS blog 'cherry-picks' who they criticize. Cuba put people in jail for using the computer, yet it was never a story here.