Amnesty International : Saudi Arabia must release or charge activist critical of the authorities

Amnesty International 

Saudi Arabian human rights defender and Shi’a Muslim rights activist Munir Baqir al-Jessas has been detained since November 2009, possibly for his criticism of the authorities' treatment of the Shi’a community in Saudi Arabia. More than seven months later no charges have been brought against him and he remains detained without trial. 

Munir al-Jessas is reported to have been arrested for writing articles that he published online advocating greater respect for human rights in Saudi Arabia, particularly the rights of the minority Shi’a community. 

He was arrested on the morning of 8 November 2009 at his workplace in Dammam, a city in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province, and a few hours later security police searched his home, confiscated two laptop computers,  a digital camera, and a hard disc.

A week after the arrest of Munir al-Jessas, his sister, Bayan  al-Jassas,is reported to have been summoned to the offices of  the General Investigation (al-Mabahith al-‘Ama) for questioning after she helped publish an article criticizing the government’s treatment of the Shi’a community in Saudi Arabia.

She is said to have been questioned for six hours  and permitted to leave the office of al-Mabahith al-‘Ama  only after she agreed to sign a declaration pledging to cease writing about or publicizing the issue. 

Munir al-Jessas is currently held at the prison run by al-Mabahith al-‘Ama in Dammam. He is reported to have been held in solitary confinement for the first four months during which his wife was permitted to visit him only rarely, but he is now no longer in solitary confinement and his family is able to visit him regularly. 

Amnesty International is concerned that Munir al-Jessas may be a prisoner of conscience detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and for his promotion of human rights. If so, he should be released immediately and unconditionally. 

Otherwise, the Saudi Arabian authorities should ensure that he is brought to trial promptly and fairly on recognizable criminal charges and without the possibility of the death penalty.

Take Action

Call on the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Interior to release Munir al-Jessas. Copy the letter below and paste it into the form on the Feedback Page of the website for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Investigation.

Release activist Munir al-Jessas

Your Excellency, 

I am writing to express my concern at the continuing detention of human rights activist Munir al-Jessas, and to call for your urgent intervention to resolve his case. 

Amnesty international believes that Munir al-Jessas may be a prisoner of conscience detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and for his promotion of human rights. If so, he should be released immediately and unconditionally. 

Otherwise, he should be released without delay unless he is to be brought to trial promptly and fairly on a recognizable criminal charge, and without recourse to the death penalty. 

Since his detention in November 2009, Munir al-Jesas has not been charged with any offence or provided with any opportunity to challenge the legality of or reasons for his detention. We urge you to ensure that Munir al-Jesas is given immediate access to a lawyer of his choice and is afforded the opportunity to challenge his detention. 

We are concerned that Munir al-Jessas appears to have been detained because of his peaceful activities for the protection and promotion of human rights in Saudi Arabia and his criticism of alleged discrimination against the Shi’a minority. 

We thus urge you to:

• Immediately and unconditionally release Munir al-Jessas if he is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely on account of his legitimate exercise of freedom of expression.
• Otherwise, ensure that he is released without delay unless he is to be charged with a recognizable criminal offence and given a fair trial in accordance with international law and Saudi Arabia’s international treaty obligations.
• Allow Munir al-Jessas immediate access to a lawyer of his choice and the opportunity to challenge the legality of his detention.

Yours sincerely,

http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/saudi-arabia-must-release-or-charge-activist-critical-authorities

العفو الدولية : يجب على السعودية إطلاق سراح ناشط ينتقد السلطات أو توجيه الاتهام له

منظمة العفو الدولية


لا يزال الناشط السعودي الشيعي المدافع عن حقوق الإنسان منير باقر الجصاص رهن الاعتقال في السعودية منذ نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009، ومن المحتمل أن يكون سبب اعتقاله هو انتقاده للمعاملة التي يلقاها أبناء الطائفة الشيعية على يد السلطات السعودية. وقد مضى أكثر من سبعة أشهر على اعتقاله، ولم توجه السلطات إليه أي تهمة بعد، ولا يزال معتقلاً بدون محاكمة.

وورد أن منير الجصاص قد اعتقل بسب ما نشره من مقالات على شبكة الإنترنت، دعا فيها إلى إيلاء مزيد من الاحترام لحقوق الإنسان في السعودية، وبخاصة حقوق الأقلية الشيعية في المملكة.

وقد ألقي القبض عليه صباح الثامن من نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009 في مقر عمله بمدينة الدمام في المحافظة الشرقية للسعودية، وبعد ذلك بسويعات قامت قوات الأمن السعودية بتفتيش منزله، ومصادرة جهازي كمبيوتر، وكاميرا رقمية، وقرص صلب لحفظ البيانات الإلكترونية.

وبعد أسبوع من اعتقال منير الجصاص، ورد أن شقيقته بيان الجصاص استدعيت إلى مقر المباحث العامة لاستجوابها بعد أن ساعدت في نشر مقال ينتقد معاملة الحكومة السعودية للطائفة الشيعية في السعودية.
وقيل إن السلطات استجوبتها لمدة ست ساعات، ولم تسمح لها بمغادرة مكتب المباحث العامة إلا بعد أن وافقت على توقيع إقرار تتعهد فيه بعدم كتابة أو نشر أي مقالات حول هذه القضية.

أما منير الجصاص فهو محتجز حالياً في سجن تديره المباحث العامة في الدمام؛ وورد أن ظل في الحبس الانفرادي طيلة الأشهر الأربعة الأولى من اعتقاله، وخلال تلك الفترة لم يسمح لزوجته بزيارته في السجن إلا نادراً، ولكنه لم يعد الآن في الحبس الانفرادي، ويتسنى لأهله من زيارته بصفة منتظمة.

وتخشى منظمة العفو الدولية القلق أن يكون منير الجصاص سجين رأي لم يعتقل لسبب سوى ممارسته السلمية لحقوقه في حرية التعبير، ودعوته لاحترام حقوق الإنسان في السعودية؛ وإذا ما ثبت ذلك، فلا بد من إطلاق سراحه فوراً ودون قيد أو شرط.

وإن لم يكن الأمر على هذا النحو، فلا بد للسلطات السعودية إما أن تفرج عنه أو تسارع إلى تقديمه لمحاكمة عادلة بتهم جنائية معترف بها، دون استخدام عقوبة الإعدام مطلقاً.
http://www.amnesty.org/ar/appeals-for-action/saudi-arabia-must-release-or-charge-activist-critical-authorities

بادر بالتحرك ..مناشدة لوزارة الداخلية السعودية تحثها فيها على إطلاق سراح منير الجصاص

بادر بالتحرك

الرجاء إرسال مناشدة لوزارة الداخلية السعودية تحثها فيها على إطلاق سراح منير الجصاص؛ انسخ الخطاب التالي في الاستمارة الواردة على صفحة الآراء والملاحظات بالموقع الرسمي لإدارة المباحث العامة بالمملكة العربية السعودية.

أطلقوا سراح الناشط منير الجصاص

معالي وزير الداخلية

أكتب إليكم للإعراب عن قلقي لاستمرار اعتقال الناشط الحقوقي منير الجصاص، ولمناشدتكم التدخل العاجل لحل هذه القضية.

فمنظمة العفو الدولية تخشى أن يكون منير الجصاص سجين رأي لم يعتقل لسبب سوى ممارسته السلمية لحقه في حرية التعبير وفي الدعوة لاحترام حقوق الإنسان وإعلاء شأنها؛ وإذا ثبت ذلك، فلا بد من إطلاق سراحه فوراً ودون قيد أو شرط.

وإن لم يكن الأمر كذلك، فلا بد للسلطات السعودية من الإفراج عنه فوراً، وإلا فعليها المسارعة بتقديمه لمحاكمة عادلة بتهم جنائية معترف بها، دون اللجوء إلى استخدام عقوبة الإعدام مطلقاً.

ومنذ اعتقال منير الجصاص في نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009، لم توجه السلطات إليه أي تهمة، ولم تتح له أي فرصة للطعن في قانونية اعتقاله، أو حتى تبلغه بأسباب اعتقاله. ونحن نحثكم على السماح له فوراً بالاتصال بمحامٍ من اختياره، وإتاحة الفرصة له للطعن في أسباب اعتقاله.

وما يبعث على قلقنا احتمال أن يكون منير الجصاص قد اعتقل بسبب أنشطته السلمية من أجل حماية وتعزيز حقوق الإنسان في السعودية، وانتقاده للتمييز المزعوم ضد الأقلية الشيعية.

ومن ثم فإننا نحثكم على ما يلي:

• الإفراج فوراً وبلا شروط عن منير الجصاص إذا ثبت أنه سجين رأي لم يعتقل لسبب سوى ممارسته المشروعة لحقه في حرية التعبير؛

• إذا لم يكن الأمر على هذا النحو، فلا بد من الإفراج عنه على وجه السرعة ما لم يوجه إليه الاتهام بارتكاب جرم جنائي معترف به، وتتاح له محاكمة عادلة وفقاً للقانون الدولي ووفاءً بالالتزامات الواقعة على عاتق المملكة العربية السعودية بموجب المعاهدات الدولية؛

• السماح لمنير الجصاص على الفور بالاتصال بمحامٍ من اختياره، وإتاحة الفرصة له للطعن في قانونية اعتقاله.
وتفضلوا بقبول فائق الاحترام والتقدير،،،

http://www.amnesty.org/ar/appeals-for-action/saudi-arabia-must-release-or-charge-activist-critical-authorities 

Continued detention without charge of human rights defender Mr Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas

Rasid - « Front Line » - 26 / 4 / 2010 - 5:26 pm

Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas has been an advocate for Shia minority rights since February 2009. He is the general supervisor for the “Tahara” on-line discussion forum and regularly posted articles and comments on other web forums on the same issue. Despite more than five months in prison, no official charges have been pressed against him.

Two months prior to his arrest, Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas was summoned by the Al-Dammam intelligence service and reportedly ordered to write a pledge to stop his internet posts criticising the government's treatment of the Shia minority.

His posts urged peaceful action to support his fellow Shias, especially following incidents in February 2009, when Saudi religious police attacked Shia pilgrims in Medina, and in March 2009, when they arrested peaceful Shia solidarity protesters in ‘Awwamiyya in the Eastern Province.

On 7 March 2009, Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas wrote about the "need to continue peaceful and correct media mobilization... to release the prisoners as soon as possible".

On 7 November 2009, agents of the intelligence service arrested Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas and raided his house, without showing any search warrant, confiscating two laptops, a hard-disk and a digital camera, in the presence of his wife, who is ill, and their two small children.

Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas was held in solitary confinement for four months at the detention centre of the intelligence service in Al-Dammam. His wife was allowed to visit him two months after his arrest, but only so that she could obtain his written consent for her to undergo an urgent medical procedure, in accordance with Saudi Arabia's guardianship system.

She was allowed to visit him again two months later, shortly after he had been moved to a group cell with other inmates. He told her that his arrest was a result of his internet posts defending the rights of the Shia minority In Saudi Arabia.

Front Line believes that the arbitrary arrest and continued detention without charge of Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas is directly linked to his legitimate and peaceful work in defence of human rights, particularly the rights of Shia minority in Saudi Arabia.

http://rasid87.homeip.net/english/?act=artc&id=262

Watchdog urges Saudi to free Shiite dissident

Rasid - « Agence France Presse » - 24 / 3 / 2010 - 6:12 pm

Human Rights Watch called on Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to free Shiite activist Munir Jassas, saying that no charges had been pressed five months after his detention by domestic intelligence agents.

Jassas was arrested on November 7 last year after posting on internet websites a series of calls for protests over the government's treatment of Shiites, the New York-based watchdog said.

Shiites make up about 10 percent of the population of the staunchly Sunni Muslim kingdom, and senior Saudi clerics frequently disparage Shiites as rejecting the "true" Islam.

Jassas's arrest came two months after he had been required by the intelligence service to sign a pledge not to post any more critical pieces on the Internet.

One of his postings had expressed support for Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who earlier this year proposed that Shiite-majority regions of Saudi Arabia -- which include some of the world's biggest oil fields -- break away after a spate of violent incidents involving Shiites.

Saudi authorities have sought to arrest Nimr, who remains in hiding.

Human Rights Watch said that Jassas was held in solitary confinement for four months after being arrested, and that charges have yet to be pressed.

"Jailing a peaceful critic for months on end shows just how far Saudi officials will go to avoid criticism," the watchdog's Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson said.

"Silencing Shia advocates will do nothing to hide the Saudi government's record of harassment and discrimination against the group."

http://rasid87.homeip.net/english/?act=artc&id=255