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Saudi Royal Advisor to Sue Twitter User

Categories: Middle East & North Africa, Saudi Arabia, Freedom of Speech, Law, Women & Gender

On Riyadh Bureau, Ahmed Al Omran writes [1]:

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 [2], appointed by the king, which cannot pass or impose laws and women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.