Published on 1 June 2009
26 October 2009 - King Abdallah pardons woman journalist sentenced to 60 lashes
24 August 2009 - Two human rights activists’ Twitter pages blocked
11 August 2009 - Authorities close Lebanese satellite TV station’s bureaux over sex talk
Abdallah, who became Saudi Arabia’s sixth king in August 2005, is also “custodian of the two holy mosques” and prime minister. Under his command, the regime has swung between repression and openness. He has had political activists and journalists arrested but he also staged the country’s first municipal elections.
The Saud family’s hold on the state and the supremacy of its Wahabi ideology depend on rigid control of news. No laws protect freedom of expression so journalists dare not criticise the regime and self- censorship is the rule. Regional unrest and the fight against terrorism continue to be used to justify curbing basic freedoms. Visiting foreign journalists are always accompanied by government officials who report back on what they do.
Adel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, better known by the pen name Kareem Amer, was arrested on 6 November 2006, for articles published on his blog .
