Saudi Arabia: New Anti-Terror Law Crushes Protests

Days ago, Amnesty International published a leaked draft of the new Saudi anti-terror law, which the organization described in a statement, as a “law that would allow the authorities to prosecute peaceful dissents with harsh penalties as terrorist crime”, adding that this law would punish questioning the integrity of the King or the Crown Prince with a minimum prison sentence of 10 years.

Update: Amnesty International's website has been blocked in Saudi Arabia.

Amnesty International (@amnesty) spread the news through Twitter, where many people have reacted using the hashtag #SaudiTerrorLaw:

@amnesty: Secret docs reveal new #SaudiArabia “Anti-Terror” law would crush peaceful dissenthttp://owl.li/5KS9Y

Twitter avatar saying “I'm patriotic, therefore I'm a terrorist”, as posted by Lujayn Alyamani

Saudi Blogger Ahmed Al-Omran (@ahmed) wrote several tweets about the new draft and noted:

@ahmed: I see many Saudi tweeps calling the proposed anti-terror law an “emergency law.” @alfarhan said they are trying to copy North Korea.

Saudi Blogger Fouad Al-Farhan (@alfarhan) mentioned in the previous tweet, has also expressed his reaction to the proposed Anti-Terror law through twitter, and in the following tweet he referred to George Orwell's famous novel 1984 saying:

@alfarhan: 2011 is our 1984 #Saudi #SaudiTerrorLaw

Saudi Tweep Fahad AlMalki (@falmalki) defined the core of the new law with a bitter and sarcastic tone:

@falmalki: Q: Define: I'm fed up. A: I cannot. I could be imprisoned. I can only say it should mean: I'm utterly happy.

Saudi Journalist Iman Al-Qahtani (@ImaQh) [ar] demanded the Saudi elites to stop the authorities from approving this proposed law:

واجب اخلاقي على النخب الثقافية والدينية المقربة من السلطة مناصحتها بخطورة النظام المزمع اصداره وتداعياته الخطيرة على الحريات

@ImaQh: It is an ethical duty on the intellectual and religious elites close to the authorities, to advice them on how dangerous this law will be on freedoms

Saudi activist Waleed Abu Alkhair (@abualkhair) [ar] warned the Shoura council from approving such a law:

كمواطن سعودي أحمل أعضاء مجلس الشورى المسؤولية التاريخية الكاملة في تمرير نظام مكافحة الإرهاب الجديد

@abualkhair: As a citizen of Saudi Arabia, I put all the historical responsibility on the members of Shoura in passing the new Anti-Terror Law

Saudi female tweep Lujayn Alyamani (@LujaynAlyamani) [ar] showed her devastation over how anti-democratic this law is:

اسمعوا: هذا المشروع اغتصاب مشرع لأحلامنا! عار والله أن نعيش عراة من الأحلام لهذا الوطن

@LujaynAlyamani: Listen, this is a project to legally rape our dreams! It is a shame to live naked of our dreams in this country

Another Saudi tweep, Mouaz Dahdah (@mouazmb) [ar] wrote his simple depiction of this law:

باختصار “قانون طوارئ جديد”

@mouazmb: In short, a new Emergency Law!

Maha AlAsmari (@maha_alasmri) [ar] explained how this law will kill freedom of speech in her country:

ان طُبق هذا النظام سيأتي يوم يكون فيه وجود مُعتقل من كل عائله سعوديه بالسجون بتهمَه التعبير عن الرأي أمر طبيعي

@maha_alasmri: If this law is applied, a day will come where every Saudi family will have a detainee in prison for expressing his opinion!

Mohammed Khelaiwy (@khelaiwy) [ar] found this law as a sign showing how the Saudi regime did not understand the lesson of the Arab spring:

صاحب القانون لم يستوعب دروس الثورات العربية ونتائج القهر والظلم وامتهان الكرامة وغياب المعارضة الوطنية الشريفة

@khelaiwy: He who wrote this law did not realize the lessons of Arab revolutions and the results of oppression, injustice, humiliation, and the absence of a true honorable opposition.

Khelaiwy also added saying:

كلنا ضد الأرهاب والأرهابيين ولكن استخدام قوانين جائرة بأسمة لتجريم وسلب حقوق المواطن المشروعة هو ارهاب ايضا

@Khelaiwy: We are all against terrorism and terrorists but using unfair laws and taking away the legitimate rights of a citizen, in the name of fighting terrorism, is by itself terrorism too.

Another tweep, Majed Alnemer (@majedalnemer), added saying:

@majedalnemer: Saudi anti-terror law is gonna kill the citizens instead of terrorists!

Mohammad Al Rasheed (@Onlinemars) [ar] tweeted about how horrifying this law is and how mistaken the Saudi authorities are when dealing with terrorism:

عندما حاربت أمريكا وأوروبا الإرهاب حاربته خارجيا لتحمي داخلها. ونحن نحارب الإرهاب داخليا لنحمي من؟

@Onlinemars: When America and Europe fought terrorism, they did it outside to protect the inside, while we are fighting terrorism inside, to protect who?