Saudi official: why popular blogger Farhan was jailed

Fouad Farhan, arrested Dec. 10, was released Saturday after being held for more than four months without charges.

By Caryle Murphy | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

from the April 28, 2008 edition

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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - A senior Saudi official for the first time today elaborated on why a popular Saudi blogger – released Saturday from detention – was held without charges for more than four months.

"We have ... what we call electronic crimes – any kind of violation related to computer and technology and so on," Interior Ministry spokesman Gen. Mansour Al Turki told the Monitor when asked why Fouad Farhan had been jailed.

"And I believe his main case was like violating personal rights.... Like when I go for example on the Internet or I go on any electronic media and I use your name and your personality and I criticize ... or offend you without being able to introduce evidence of what I'm saying."

Mr. Turki's comments were the first time that any Saudi official had gone beyond the vague official explanation that Mr. Farhan's detention stemmed from his alleged violation of rules unrelated to state security.

Farhan's Arabic-language blog, which has been shut down since early April, had become a must-read for many young Saudis. Like many bloggers in the country, Farhan took advantage of the expanding space for free speech under King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz to call for political reforms. His arrest on Dec. 10 – the first known one of a Saudi blogger – sent tremors throughout the nation's vibrant blogging community.

Farhan had been an outspoken supporter of a group of activists based in the Saudi city of Jeddah who were detained after calling for political reform. They also were critical of the US occupation of Iraq.

According to a report in The Washington Post, he also had posted on his blog a list of what he termed his 10 least favorite Saudi leaders in early December, shortly before his arrest. The list included a prince, a cabinet minister, a religious cleric, a mayor, and the head of the judiciary.

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