Global Voices » Saudi Arabia

Saudi Mobile Company Seeks Privacy Advocate's Help to Spy on Clients

Osama Khalid — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:12:04 +0000

Saudi Arabia's second largest telecommunication company, Mobily, has reached out to a privacy advocate for help in surveilling encrypted communication applications.

In March, the governmental Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission threatened to block WhatsApp, Skype and other applications that do not comply with Saudi regulations (which include allowing surveillance) and gave telecommunication companies a deadline to find a solution or block them. The American developer and privacy advocate Moxie Marlinspike published an email exchange that he had with Mobily as they were looking for help.

In one email, the Mobily head of security department used the standard terrorism line to try to convince him:

If you are not interested than maybe you are on indirectly helping those who curb the freedom with their brutal activities.

Marlinspike decided to publicize the request, and it got massive attention within the Saudi Twittersphere. Once it caught on, he tweeted in Arabic:

شكرًا للكلمات اللطيفة والتسجيعات من السعودية. كنو دائما بصوت عالي عندما يحاولون اسكاتكم. #موبايلي_تتجسس_على_الشعب

@moxie: Thanks for all of the kind words and encouragement from Saudi Arabia. When they try to silence you, be loud.

A line of people outside a Mobily office in Medinah, Saudi Arabia on October 16, 2012. Photo by Kashif Aziz.(CC-BY-Attribution 2.0 Generic)

Some called for a boycott, others criticized what they thought of as the root of the problem, namely, dictatorship and repression. Reactions were under the hash tag #موبايلي_تتجسس_على_الشعب [ar], which translates to “Mobily spies on the people.”

Saudi netizen Faris Abaalkhail called for a legislative change:

الحل هو ليس فقط تغيير مزود الخدمه اذا تبت #موبايلي_تتجسس_على_الشعب بل المطالبه بسن قوانين تحمي خصوصيتنا وتجرم مثل هذه الأفعال #السعودية

@FarisAbaalkhail: The solution is not to only change the service provider if [this] is proven to be true, but to demand laws that protect our privacy and criminalize such actions.

Bandr al-Amri and many others accused the Interior Ministry of being behind this attempt:

#موبايلي_تتجسس_على_الشعب لذلك يجب معاقبتهم .. و معاقبة من أمرهم بذلك يا # وزارة_الداخلية

@ZajeelBird: #Mobily Spies on the People – for that they should be punished and those who ordered them should be punished too, namely the Interior Ministry.

Saudi Activist Refuses Trial: “I Will Not Tolerate Women Degradation”

Osama Khalid — Sat, 04 May 2013 20:46:10 +0000

This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia
The fifth session of the ongoing trial of Dr. Abdulkareem al-Khudar, a co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, was held today; and as in the previous session, the judge continued to refuse to allow women to attend the public trial, saying that they shall stay at home.

Last time, when Dr. al-Khudar refused to enter the courtroom without allowing both women and men to attend the trial, the judge issued a four-month arrest warrant. Since then, Dr. al-Khudar has been imprisoned in the Buraydah Public Prison.

A video was uploaded showing him leaving the court building, handcuffed, in which he said:

ما دخلنا السجن إلا طلبا لإصلاح حال هذه الأمة. أسأل الله أن يحقق ذلك أو يميتنا دونه.

I was imprisoned for trying to improve the status of this nation. I pray for this to be achieved, or for me to die trying to achieve it.

Dr. al-Khudar, handcuffed, after the session, via ACPRATube.

When the judge continued to refuse to allow women to attend (including Dr. al-Khudar's mother and wife), he refused to speak and wrote a note that his lawyer read after the session:

والله لن تضهد المرأة باسم الإسلام بتحريف النصوص عن معناها ومراد الله فيها؛ وأما إن اضهدت باسم النظام فيحاسب من قام بذلك.”

I swear that I will not tolerate women degradation in the name of Islam by twisting verses [of the Quran] to distort the meaning that God intended; and if the degradation is in the name of the law, those who wrote it should be held accountable.

The next trial session will be held next Saturday, May 11.

This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Authorities Continue Crackdown on Human Rights Activists

Hadeel Mohammed — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:38:35 +0000

This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian authorities detained yet another member of the country's defiant leading human rights organisation, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA). Umar Al-Saeed is the seventh ACPRA member to be detained since the kingdom initiated a crackdown on human rights activists in 2012.

Under Saudi law, most forms of association are banned and public assembly is restricted. Organisations like the ACPRA have to get a license from the Kingdom's Interior Ministry to operate, but the ministry rarely issues licenses to human rights organisations. The monarchy does not acknowledge basic human rights like freedom of speech. Most of the legal proceedings initiated against human rights activists in the last year have been because they are involved in organisations that “don't have permission” to operate.

Umar Al-Saeed Detained

Al Saeed was asked to appear before the investigation and persecution bureau on April 28, 2013, for his involvement with the ACPRA. He went with his lawyer, Bader Al-Harbi, who came from Kuwait to attend the session with him. After waiting for two hours, Al-Saeed was asked to enter the interrogation room alone.

Umar Al-Saeed (@181Umar) tweeted [ar]:

@181Umar: كتابة العدل في المحكمة الكبرى ببريدة رفضت طلب توكيل المحام بدر عماش الحربي وأفادوني بأن توكيل الأجنبي لا يسمح به حتى لو كان خليجي ! #حسم

Notary at the Supreme Court of Buraidah has rejected hiring Badar Ammash al-Harbi on the basis that he is not Saudi. They have informed me that hiring a foreign attorney is not permitted even if he is a GCC citizen.

He insisted on his right to a lawyer and argued with the investigator who then ordered his arrest. Online activists and human rights defenders saw this as a growing trend to suppress activists in the country.

Thumar Al-Marzouki (@thumarm) tweeted [ar]:

@thumarm: سجن عمر السعيد عضو جمعية #حسم .. لن يثني الشباب ولن يرهبهم عن مواجهة و رفض إستبداد الدولة وقمع أجهزتها الأمنية، عمر جزء من كل، ليس النهاية

Imprisoning Umar Al-Saeed, ACPRA member, won't discourage youth or terrorize them from defying the country's tyranny and the repression of its security agencies. Umar is part of a whole, it's not the end

Waleed Abualkhair (@abulkhair) tweeted [ar]:

@abulkhair السعيد اعتقل لأنه رفض التحقيق دون محامي ود.الخضر اعتقل لأنه رفض المحاكمة دون حضور النساء يبدو أنهم قد سأموا مسرحية الاعتقال وفق القانون

Al-Saeed was arrested because he refused investigation without a lawyer. al-Khudar was arrested because he refused the barring of women from his trial. Apparently, they have given up on carrying out arrests according to legal procedures.

Authorities now after the Union for Human Rights

Mohammad Ayed Al-Otibi, one of the founding members of the Union for Human Rights, a human rights organization recently established in the country, was also summoned for interrogation on April 28. His cofounders Abdullah Al-Atawi and Mohammed Abdullah Al-Otaibi accompanied him to the bureau of investigation and persecution and were surprised to learn that they would be interrogated as well. Mohammad Abdullah Al-Otaibi appeared before the bureau on April 29 and Abdullah Al-Atawi on April 30.

Mohammad Ayed Al-Otibi, was accused of establishing an association without permission. He was asked to re-appear on Wednesday. He requested more time to find a lawyer but the investigator rejected his request.
Mohammad Abdullah Al-Otaibi was also accused of establishing an association without permission and creating websites on the Internet for it.

Another member of the Union, Abdullah Al-Harbi was summoned by the bureau of investigation and persecution later. He appeared before the bureau on April 30, along with Abdullah Al-Atawi. Both were accused of establishing an association without permission. The investigators offered to drop the charges against Abdullah Al-Harbi was in exchange for him leaving the association, but he rejected the offer.

The Union for Human Rights, published a satatement [ar] claiming that the establishment of their union is legal and protected by international and Arab laws.

None of the charges against these four men relates to an internationally recognizable crime, and the irony is that it was precisely because of their attempt to formally register the organization that the authorities clamped down on them, said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International.

Trial of Eisa Al-Nekhaifi

On April 29, the trial of Eisa Al-Nekhaifi, the Saudi activist who became known for the Southern border case resumed. Al-Nekhaifi, was jailed for his solidarity with the families’ sit-in in the southern region of Saudi Arabia; who were forced to leave their homes upon the clashes between Saudi forces and the Houthis and never allowed back.

The judge, Omar Al-Husain, sentenced Al-Nekhaifi to three years in prison, slapped him with a four-years travel ban, and ordered the “expropraition” of all of his accounts and pages on social networks. This is the second time a Saudi judge issue a verdict involving social media accounts of a Saudi citizen. (The first was issued against the ACPRA last month.)

Saudi Arabia has a distressing human rights record which includes arbitrarily detaining over 30,000 people.

This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia

Saudi-American View on Boston Bombings

Amira Al Hussaini — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:52:46 +0000

Nora Abdulkarim shares a Saudi-American perspective on the Boston Bombings.

She explains:

I won't try to simplify what is inherently complex. I will simply present and reflect, and nothing more. No fancy theorizing, no overarching message. This post is only meant to be a glimpse at personal identity – that wild thing which one cannot pin down.

Saudi Arabia Summons Human Rights Activist for Interrogation

Hadeel Mohammed — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:24:20 +0000

This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia

Omar Al-Saeed, a member in the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), has been summoned for interrogation on April 22 and asked to re-appear next week.

Al-Saeed went to the Investigation and Prosecution Bureau in Qassim with his brother, Abdullah Al-Saeed, who is also an ACPRA member. There, Omar and Abdullah met with interrogator Ahmad Al-Thekri.
The expected interrogation session didn't take place. Instead, Al-Saeed was asked to come again the following week. He asked for more time to find a lawyer to attend with him, but the interrogator insisted he attends next week.

Shortly after tweeting what went on in the bureau, a Kuwaiti attorney, Bader Al-Harbi, mentioned Omar Al-Saeed on Twitter, offering his services:

@bhd1973: @181Umar
مستعد استاذ وبالخدمة

@bhd1973: @181Umar ready and at your service

While Al-Saeed was in the Investigation and Prosecution Bureau, Saudis started the hash-tag #عمر_السعيد which translates to Omar Al-Saeed, in solidarity with him.

Abdullah Al-Mogbel tweeted:

@asmogbelt: تجريم نشطاء الحقوق ومن يمتهنون العمل السلمي ينذر بكارثة خطيرة عندما يصادق القضاة على كليشة المدعي العام الفتنة والتأليب.الخ #حسم #عمر_السعيد

@asmogbelt: The criminalization of peaceful activists and rights defenders is a warning of a dangerous disaster since judges are endorsing the clichés of the General Prosecutor such as: inciting disorder, etc.

Turki tweeted:

@SAUDI_LIBERAL: أخبروا محمد بن نايف بأن سجونه ستمتلئ ولن يجد مكاناً للكم الهائل من المطالبين بالحرية والعدالة والحقوق لأن الشعب مل ببساطة
#عمر_السعيد #حسم

@SAUDI_LIBERAL: Tell Mohammad bin Naif [the Interior Minister] that his prisons will be full and he won't find a place for the large number of people demanding freedom, justice and rights because people have simply had enough.

The summoning of Omar Al-Saeed comes as a continuation of the Ministry of Interior's actions against ACPRA, the most prominent rights association in Saudi Arabia.

Before Al-Saeed, five of ACPRA members were jailed: Abdullah Al-Hamed, Mohammad Al-Qahtani, Sulaiman Al-Rushoodi, Saleh Al-Ashwan and Mohammad Al-Bjadi. Another member, Abdulkarim Al-Khader has just been detained for objecting to the judge's decision to bar women from attending his trial.

This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Judge Bars Women from Trial of Human Rights Activist

Osama Khalid — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:35:42 +0000

This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia

Just ten days after the first Saudi woman was granted a lawyer's license, a judge prohibited women from attending the public trial of activist Dr. Abdualkareem al-Khudar, founding member of the Kingdom's defiant leading human rights organisation, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA).

Saudi law makes it difficult for organisations like ACPRA to even exist. The monarchy does not acknowledge basic human rights like freedom of speech, bans most forms of association and restricts public assembly.

More than 40 men and women supporters arrived at the court in Buraidah city to witness the fourth session of Dr. al-Khudar's trial on April 24, 2013, which is the latest in a series of legal proceedings against human rights activists of the ACPRA. In 2012, dozens of prominent human rights activists were imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.

al-Khudar objected to women being barred from his trial and refused to enter the courtroom. While he stood outside the court, a policeman detained him. His lawyer Abdulaziz Shubaily (@a_abdulaziz300) [ar] went to the head of Buraidah Criminal Court to find out why his client had been detained and tweeted [ar]:

ذهبت للمحكمة وقابلت رئيس المحكمة على العمر قال أن القاضي إبراهيم الحسني أصدر أمربالإيقاف٤أشهر والجلسة القادمة لم تحددبعد.

@a_abdulaziz300 I went to the court and met its head Ali al-Omar. He said that Judge Ibrahnim al-Hussni issued a four-month detainment order.

Last month a verdict was announced in the 9-month trial of two other ACPRA founding members, Dr. Mohammad al-Qahtani and Dr. Abdullah al-Hamid. They were sentenced to ten and eleven years in prison respectively for “breaking allegiance to the ruler and his successor” and “trying to impede the country’s developments”.

The ACPRA revealed that al-Qahtani and al-Hamed had been told that the government would drop legal action against them if they agreed to stop their activism, but both men said they preferred “going to jail over being silent.”

Women were allowed to attend those proceedings, but today, the judge cited a Quranic verse to back his decision to bar them. ACPRA member Abdullah al-Sied (@abdulllah1406) tweeted [ar]:

Dr. al-Khudar (in the middle) before the beginning of the session. Image uploaded by @acprahr

القاضي ابراهيم الحسني يستدل بآية ( وقرن في بيوتكن ) على منعه لدخول النساء #محاكمة_حسم_القصيم

@abdulllah1406: Judge Ibrahim al-Hussni cited the Quran verse “And abide in your houses” for prohibiting women's entry to ACPRA trial.

Saudi Arabia officially imposes Sharia law. The country's criminal code does not rely not on written statutes but on commentaries and interpretations of the Quran and other sources of Sharia, often made arbitrarily by judges who are government-appointed clergymen.

Human Rights activist Bandar Shammari (@xalshammari) traveled to Buraidah to attend the trial but was denied entrance based on how he ”looked”. He tweeted [ar]:

حرس المحكمة الجزائية ببريدة منعوني من الدخول بحجة “ان شكلي ليس كالسعودي” :(

@xalshammari: The guards of Buraidah Criminal Court did not allow me to enter because my “looks do not seem Saudi.” :(

Activist Waleed Abualkair (@abualkhair) [ar]:

السياسي يقول للخارج بأنه يسعى لضمان حقوق المرأة لكن المشكلة في مجتمعنا .. بينما هو يعزز من مكانة القاضي الذي يحتقر المرأة ويسجن الإصلاحيين

@abualkhair: The political [regime] says to foreigners that it defends women's right, but the root of the problem lies in this society..Now [the regime] is supporting a judge who insults women and imprisons reformists.

In a previous session, al-Khudar requested that his case be shifted to another judge, because of a personal conflict that he had with the judge before the trial. But the judge refused his request saying that it would not affect his judgment.

Saudi Arabia is one of the few remaining absolute monarchies in the world and has a devastating human rights record which includes arbitrarily detaining over 30,000 people.

This post is part of our Special Coverage: Reformists on Trial in Saudi Arabia

Saudis Debate 1,000-Mile Yemen Border Fence

Osama Khalid — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:57:55 +0000

Earlier this month, BBC reported that Saudi Arabia is building a 1,000-mile fence on its border with Yemen. The news was barely reported in Saudi national press, but it was widely and critically reported in Yemeni press.

The development was debated tensely in the Saudi Twittersphere. Supporters cited its absolute necessity for the safety of the kingdom while opponents spoke about the tighter siege it will impose on the Yemeni people.

The US-Mexico border fence was one example that the supporters cited. Fahad al-Rsheed tweeted [ar]:

من حق أي دولة حماية نفسها من عصابات المخدرات وتهريب السلاح والمتسللين ،وأمريكا على سبيل المثال أقامت سياجاً مع المكسيك

@fahadccx: It is the right of any state to protect itself from drug and arm trafficking gangs. America, for example, has built a fence on its borders with Mexico.

On the other hand, some opponents said that the money could be better spent. Lawyer and activist Abdullah al-Nasri tweeted:

بتكلفة هذا السياج لنوظف العاطلين في الجنوب وعلى الحدود في حراسة الحدود ولندعم كل أعمال التنمية في اليمن لتعزيز الأخوة .

@alnasri1: With the same costs, we can hire the citizens of the Southern [Saudi] region to guard the borders, and fund development projects in Yemen to strengthen our brotherhood.

Others emphasized on the unity of the Arab nation. Abu Faisal tweeted:

سيكون مصيره كمصير”جدار برلين” إحفظوها جيدًا والأيام بيننا.!!

@Abuufaisal_1: It will have the same destiny as the Berlin Wall. Remember this!

Others had a humanistic perspective:

بهذا الفعل سنتجرّد من بقايا انسانيتنا.

@Mnor_: By doing this, we abandon what is left of our humanity.

هذا الفعل يعطي انطباع عن العقلية والمعالجة الأمنية البحتة لقضايا ذات عمق اجتماعي واقتصادي ألا يوجد مفكرين غيرالأمني ؟

@__Husam__: That is an example of a police mentality in dealing with issues that have significant social and economical effects. Do we have a non-police mentality?

Saudis Condemn Boston Marathon Bombings

Amira Al Hussaini — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:47:08 +0000

At Riyadh Bureau, Ahmed Al Omran sums up Twitter reactions from Saudis living/studying in the US following the Boston Marathon bombings here.

Saudi Arabia's First Female Lawyer?

Amira Al Hussaini — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:43:00 +0000

Arwa al-Hujaili has become Saudi Arabia's first female legal trainee – or three years of apprenticeship ahead before she earns her full legal licensure to become a lawyer. Free Arabs has more here.

Saudi Account of Boston Marathon Bombings

Amira Al Hussaini — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:08:10 +0000

Saudi student Wael Omar Moathen shares this eyewitness account [ar] of his experience at the Boston Marathon bombing. Ahmed Al Omran offers a translation here:

Like any human being who lives in this city, I picked up my camera and headed to Mile 26, the last mile in the race. I was taking photos and enjoying the cheers.

Click on the link above to read his experience as the horror unfolds.

Iran Quake Aftershocks Reach Qatar, Bahrain

Amira Al Hussaini — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:48:51 +0000

Doha News charts reactions from Qatar residents following the aftershocks of an earthquake which hit southern Iran today. The aftershocks were also felt in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where offices in high rise buildings were evacuated.

First Saudi Human Rights Association for Abolishing Execution Launched

Osama Khalid — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:31:11 +0000

Following last month's court ruling to dissolve the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) and to confiscate its (nonexistent) properties, a group of activists yesterday announced a new independent association called the Union for Human Rights. Among its stated goals, the association is seeking an end to deterrent executions, an issue rarely raised in the kingdom.

The co-founders are four activists, one of whom is Mohammad Abudllah al-Otibi who had been detained for three years starting in January 2009 after trying to organize a peaceful Gaza solidarity demonstration.

Several political analysts have noted that the fact that ACPRA had taken political positions, such as demanding a constitutional monarchy, made it a more vulnerable target for authority's crack down. It seems that the Union for Human Rights is planning to take a different direction by avoiding political demands. The founding statement [ar] stated:

وليس لهذه الجمعية غايات سياسية أو حزبية أو دينية، لذلك فإن جمعية الاتحاد لحقوق الإنسان تقف مع حقوق الإنسان الأساسية دون تفرقة في الدين او العرق او العنصر أو ذكراً أو انثى.

And the association has no political, sectarian or religious goals. For that reason, the Union for Human Rights stands for fundamental human rights without discrimination on the basis of religion, race or gender.

Amnesty International has reported that Saudi Arabia has been beheading nearly two people per week since the beginning of 2013. In September 2012, excision standards were relaxed [ar] by canceling the judge censuses requirement, allowing for execution sentences to pass by a majority vote. Most executions in Saudi Arabia are “deterrent” and many of them are related to drug and robbery offenses. However, “deterrent executions” are not the only ones. The other category is “retributive excisions”, which are applied in murder cases.

Saudi Royal Advisor to Sue Twitter User

Amira Al Hussaini — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:35:41 +0000

On Riyadh Bureau, Ahmed Al Omran writes:

A member of the Saudi Shoura Council said today that he is going to sue a conservative writer for attacking him on Twitter. Shoura member Issa al-Ghaith said that “due to the escalation of offenses on Twitter and the necessity of legal action” he is going to sue Abdullah al-Dawood, a Saudi conservative writer based in Riyadh, for accusing him of “demanding secularism” after al-Ghaith spoke in positive terms about lifting the ban on women driving.

The Shura council is a 150-member advisory body, appointed by the king, which cannot pass or impose laws and women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia Threatens to Block Skype and WhatsApp

Amira Al Hussaini — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:19:26 +0000

Saudi Arabia, an Enemy of the Internet, is threatening to block a number of popular communication tools, such as Skype and mobile messaging service WhatsApp, unless the operating companies agree to infringe on the privacy of users and monitor them.

According to Brian Whitaker, who blogs at Al-bab, the Saudi authorities:

are threatening to block popular communication services such as Skype, WhatsApp and Viber unless the operating companies agree to monitoring of messages and calls.

Al-Arabiya reports that the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has given companies until the end of this week to respond.

If the companies do not comply with the Saudi request, the commission may take action and block these services.

Saudi Arabia, an Enemy of the Internet according to Reporters without Borders, threatens to block popular sites such as Skype and WhatsApp, unless it can monitor them

Whitaker adds:

The Saudi authorities are threatening to block popular communication services such as Skype, WhatsApp and Viber unless the operating companies agree to monitoring of messages and calls.

Al-Arabiya reports that the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has given companies until the end of this week to respond.

“In case they say it is impossible to monitor the applications, the commission said it will consider procedures to block them altogether in the kingdom.”

The Jeddah-based Arab News says the authorities are concerned because the applications use encrypted connections:

“According to two informed sources who work at local telecommunication companies, this issue has been at the top of the agenda of discussions during meetings between heads of telecom companies and the CITC over the past 20 days. The meetings have finally concluded with the CITC demanding that it be allowed to monitor the encrypted applications.”

Predictably, the authorities justify their demand for monitoring on the grounds that it will help prevent crime and terrorism. But, as Ahram Online points out, conservatives in the kingdom are worried about the growth of internet-based social networks which are outside their control and which “have enlarged the severely restricted scale of freedom of expression”.

Whitaker reminds us:

The question now is whether the companies concerned will agree to the CITC's demands. There was a similar issue three years ago when the CITC threatened to shut down the BlackBerry Messenger service unless it was given access to codes that would allow monitoring of messages.

The matter was later resolved, though it is not clear how. The CITC said it was dropping the ban after Research in Motion, the Canadian company behind BlackBerry, met “part” of its regulatory requirements. Some reports suggested the company had caved in and agreed to put a BlackBerry server in the country so that the Saudis could directly access customer data.

On Riyadh Bureau, Ahmed Al Omran reports that Saudi Arabia's grand mufti Abdulaziz Al Sheikh has described Twitter as a place where youth waste their time and a “gathering place for every clown and corrupter who post tweets that are illegitimate, false and wrong.”

Al Omran adds:

The Grand Mufti has become increasingly critical of Twitter users recently. In January 2012 he said the social network “has become a platform for trading accusations and for promoting lies used by some just for the sake of fame.” Then in October he called people who use the site “fools” and accused them of lacking modesty and faith.

He also offers statistics on Twitter users in Saudi Arabia saying:

Twitter has become a major platform for Saudi to exchange ideas and debate political issues in the country. A recent survey said 51% of internet users in Saudi Arabia are active Twitter users, putting it in first place worldwide. A Saudi official admitted last month that the government is struggling to monitor and censor the site due to the huge volume of messages posted by users inside the country.

As Saudis make their voices heard online, thanks to the wide reach of social media, Saudi authorities seem to be working even harder at muzzling their voices.

Saudi Minister Threatens a Twitter User Online

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:23:08 +0000

Saudi Arabia's Information and Culture Minister Abdelaziz Khoja allegedly threatened to sue a Twitter user – for insulting him on the microblogging platform.

A user by the name @Esaeed1 tweeted the minister [ar]:

يا وزير الاعلام كلنا نعرف انك صورة او بالاصح ريموت كنترول في يد اصحاب المال والسلطة رجاءاً لا نريد منك فرد للعضلات مستقبلاً

@Esaeed1: Minister of Information, we all know you are an image or more precisely a remote control in the hands of those with money and power. Please refrain from flexing your muscles in the future.

And a Twitter account (non-verified) under the minister's name responded:

‏
@Esaeed1حقيقة من الممكن أن أقاضيك على كلامك اذا كنت شجاعا اكتب اسمك بصراحه

@abdlazizkhoja: In reality I can sue you for what you said. Be courageous and write your real name

Fahad Al Dahhas responded:

تقاضيه على رأي يا وزير..انا كنت عارف ان الوزراء عندنا شخبط شخابيط و الحين تأكدت..قاضي نفسك قبل أن تقاضى أمام الله

@FahadAl_Dahhas: You will sue him for his opinion. I knew that our ministers are rubbish and now I am convinced. Sue yourself before sue anyone

And the minister replied:

سيدي أسلوبه وتهجمه واتهامه لي بما لا يليق هو الذي دفعني لذلك اذا كان هذا الأسلوب يرضيك للحوار أنا اقبل حكمك

@abdlazizkhoja: His manner, the way he attacked me and how he accused me of what is not suitable is what drove me to do that. If this way of dialogue suits you, I accept your decision.

It is interesting to see such exchanges between netizens and officials in a country ranked by Reporters without Borders as an Enemy of the Internet.