Independent Saudi News

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 Saudi Woman Sentenced to Torture-by-Flogging 300 Times 
SIA News
SIA News January 29, 2010… A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a Saudi mother of three to 300 lashes for visiting government departments without a male guardian escort and for filing a complaint to the Saudi King against government officials for corruption and misuse of power, Saudi daily Okaz reported yesterday.   
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 Saudi Arabia Sentences a 13-Year-Old Girl to Torture-by-Flogging 
SIA News
January 19, 2010 Jubail- A Saudi Arabian court sentenced a 13-year old school girl to 90 lashes inside her school and two months prison term, Saudi daily AlWatan reported Wednesday.   
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 Yemeni Rebels Show Captured Saudi Soldiers 
SIA News
November 25, 2009 Washington DC - Yemeni rebels (the Houthis) have aired a YouTube video showing Saudi marines they recently captured in the ongoing fighting they have been engaging in with Saudi forces for five weeks.   
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 World Justice Forum Convene In Vienna 
L'Houssaine Oulbaz
Washington DC - The World Justice Forum, after its historical inauguration last year, convened again on November 11-14, in Vienna, Austria. It is the second global gathering of leaders from a variety of disciplines and from all parts of the world that come together to learn how the rule of law affects their disciplines and regions and to incubate collaborative actions to strengthen the rule of law.   
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 Reports: Saudi AlWatan Editor Sacked for the Second Time 
SIA News
Riyadh-…The editor of the leading Saudi newspaper AlWatan has been fired by the Ministry of Interior few hours ago, according to emerging reports from the desert kingdom.   
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 Americans to Spend Years in Saudi Prisons as Obama Land in Riyadh 
SIA News
Qatif- Just few weeks after Roxana Saberi was freed from Iranian prison, two American brothers are set to spend six years in Saudi prison, as US President is set to arrive to Riyadh, Tuesday, sources told SIA News.   
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 Saudi to Crucify Convict in Advance of Obama’s Arrival 
SIA News
Washington DC - The Saudi government is beheading and crucifying a convicted killer in Riyadh, just days prior to the arrival of American President Barack Obama, SIA has learned.   
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 Saudi Cancels Municipal Elections 
SIA News
(Riyadh) … Saudi King Abdullah Bin AbdulaAziz AlSaud proved his critics right today by canceling municipal elections due this year and instead extended the councils’ terms for two more years, according to sources in the Saudi Council of Ministers who spoke to SIA News in the condition of anonymity.   
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 Saudi King Faisal Prize Lifts Its Ban on Jews, Ban on Shia Remains 
SIA News
Washington DC - The annual King Faisal Prize has lifted its ban on the nomination and award to Jewish scientists last month, in an apparent response to critical reporting on the issue by Washington-based groups, including the Saudi Information Agency (SIANEWS).   
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 Democracy

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 Saudi Reformers Up their Demands 
SIA News
(Washington) October 2, 2003 … Over 300 Saudi women and men published the 2nd reform demands September 24th that was sent to Crown Prince Abdallah.   
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 List of Reformers who Signed the 2nd Reform Demands 
SIA News
(Washington) SIA news …October 2, 2003 …The hundreds of reformers who demanded fundamental reforms from the government included medical doctors, university professors, writers, journalists, engineers, and other professionals. They also included 51 women.   
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 Special Series: Documents on Terror and Hate

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 Exclusive: Saudi Govt Bans "Jewish" Barbie Dolls 
SIA News
(Washington) …September 8, 2003 - SIA News – The Saudi government has announced that Barbie dolls are Jewish tools promoting the lewd behavior of what it calls the perverted Western world, according to a government poster distributed to Saudi schools, mosques and hospitals which has been obtained and translated by SIA news.   
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 SIA Exclusive Series: Saudi Government Support of Terrorism, Slavery and Religious Hatred. 
SIA News
(Washington) … September 8, 2003 – Throughout the months of September and October SIA News will run a news series on Saudi state-sponsored support of terrorism, slavery, religious hatred.   
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 Articles

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 Thus Did I Learn at the Mosque 
Mansor al-Noqaidan
INTRODUCTION: Eleven years ago, some friends and I were driving down Tahliya Street in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, when our driver noticed that immediately behind us was a European-looking man whom he took to be a non-Muslim. Our friend, who was driving, started being obnoxious to him, even forcing him to the shoulder of the road in a frightening way that almost caused an accident.   
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 Saudi Terrorism: The Devil Within 
Saeed Al-Saleh
Saudi government blames foreign countries or organizations for terrorists' attacks in the country. Saudi try to find a culprit to blame, in order to show that the country has never been part of fueling radicalism or supporting it, not to mention being part of it.   
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 Saudi Growing Terror Activities 
Ali AlYami
The unprecedented violent activities and discoveries of caches of weapons in Saudi Arabia is deceptively attributed to a small group of religious extremists.   
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 Failures of Arab Reformers 
Ali H. Alyami
The Arabs have been talking, writing and even singing about Hurriyah (Liberty) for decades. Yet they have failed miserably to translate this longing into reality. While there have been isolated attempts to introduce political reforms into some Arab states by individuals and small groups, very little change has been accomplished over the course of the last sixty years.   
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 Exclusives

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 EXCLUSIVE: Saudi Ambassador Bandar Resigns, Vacates Washington Embassy 
SIA News
Sunday, 26 June (Washington, DC) -- Saudi Arabia's longstanding ambassador to the United States, Bandar bin Sultan, has resigned, cleared his belongings from the Washington Embassy and returned to Riyadh with his staff, a senior Saudi diplomatic source in Washington have told the Saudi Information Agency, SIA News.
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 US Ambassador to Riyadh Persona Non-Grata 
Ali Al-Ahmed
(Washington) …September 21, 2003 …US ambassador to Riyadh has been declared persona non-grata in the Kingdom by senior members of the ruling family fearful of American involvement in local Saudi politics, SIA has learned.
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 Saudi Diplomat to Holland Defects 
Hayder Alhamdani
(Washington) … July 15, 2003… Top Saudi diplomat to Holland, Mr. Mishael Thaar Al-Motairi, defected today, he said in a statement released to the press today.
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 Exclusive- Saudi Government Closes off Araar Airport 
Saeed Al-Saleh
(WASHINGTON DC) March 5, 2003…SIA News has obtained a secret document showing the Saudi government closed off Araar airport to the public Wednesday because it is been taken over by American forces in their way to attack Iraq.
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 Saudi Telethon Host Calls for Enslaving Jewish Women 
(WASHINGTON DC) April 26, 2002 ..The Saudi Information Agency has obtained a tape by prominent government official cleric Shaikh Saad Al-Buraik calling for enslaving Jewish women. The tape is called “a Monkey Desecrates a Mosque,” and was delivered in a Riyadh government mosque. The monkey refers to Jews.
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 Saudi Senior Official Who Supports Ben Laden Remain in his Position 
(WASHINGTON DC) May 6, 2002.. Senior official cleric Shaikh Abdul Rahman Al-Barraak who issued a fatwa in support of Taliban and Osama Ben Laden remain in his all government positions in contrast to the government statement on fighting extremism amongst its officials.
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 Saudis Received Hundreds Of Al-Qaeda from Iran 
(WASHINGTON DC) August 16… Iran arrested and deported hundreds of Saudis back to Saudi Arabia, not just 16 claimed by Prince Saud AlFaisal earlier this week, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to SIA news.
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 Profiles of 9/11 Saudi Hijackers Revealed 
(WASHINGTON DC) September 11, 2002 The following has been compiled form articles in Saudi newspapers, and hijacker’s friends.
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 Exclusive: Saudi Grand Mufti Ok’s Cyber Terrorism 
(WASHINGTON DC) December 2, 2002.. The Saudi Information Agency has obtained a fatwa approving cyber terrorism issued by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al-Alshaikh, the highest official cleric in the country.
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 Exclusive- Saudi to Allow US Military Use of Airbase Against Iraq 
(WASHINGTON DC) December 28, 2002...The Saudi government has informed the US two weeks ago it will the use of Prince Sultan airbase in Al-Kharij in the looming war with Saddam government, a Saudi source in London told SIA News 10 days ago.
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 Human Rights

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 Grand Mufti Bans Newspaper Interview 
Hayder Alhamdani
Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Alshaikh, the highest religious authority in the country banned a newspaper interview with poplar writer Mr. Abdul Aziz Alqassim from appearing in AlMadina daily Friday July 18th, SIA has learned.
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 King Ends Using Kids to Race Camels 
(WASHINGTON DC) January 31, 2003.. A royal decree was issued to stop the practice of using children in camel racing, an enterprise mostly owned by the royal family, Alyoum News paper reported Thursday.
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 Saudi Government Releases Elderly Religious Leader 
Ali Al-Ahmed
(WASHINGTON DC) December 24, 2002...The Saudi government today released a leading Ismaili religious leader Hajj Mohamed Al-Saadi, 65, who was arrested April 2000 following the government attack on the main Ismaili mosque in Najran.
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 Saudi Torturer Killed in Mysterious Accident 
Notorious torturer Lieutenant Salah Al-Mehtarish Al-Otaibi was killed in a car accident December 7th.
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 Ismaili Leader’s Sentence Reduced After International Protest 
(WASHINGTON DC) May 28, 2002 .. In a move to curb international criticism of its poor human rights record, the interior ministry ordered the reduction of the sentence of Ismaili tribe leader Shaikh Ahmed Turki Al-Saab from seven years and torture by 1500 floggings to one and a half year imprisonment, sources close to the case told SIA News Monday.
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 Powell’s Decision Paves Way to More Religious Intolerance 
(WASHINGTON DC) March 10, 2003… Five days after Secretary Colin Powell’s decision not to list Saudi Arabia as religious freedom violator, the Saudi defense minister said his government will never allow the construction of a single church under any condition.
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 SIA in the News

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 Saudis allow massing of U.S. troops near its border with Iraq 
WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Saudi Arabia is said to have allowed the United States to deploy troops and aircraft near the Iraqi border.
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 Dissidents: U.S. troops use Saudi Arabia bases 
Associated Press
DOHA, Qatar -- Saudi Arabia has allowed U.S. troops to use several of its air bases and offered logistical support for U.S. ground forces in a war against Saddam Hussein, a Saudi dissident group said Saturday.
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 "Sources: Saudi government closes airport near Iraq to public after Americans have taken it over" 
Associated Press
DOHA, Qatar - The Saudi government has shut down civilian flights to an airport near the Iraqi border so that it can be used by American forces in a possible war against Iraq,, sources in Saudi Arabia said Friday.
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 U.S. troops, aircraft in Saudi Arabia 
John R. Bradley
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia — Thousands of U.S. troops are arriving in Saudi Arabia in preparation for an invasion of Iraq, independent sources say.
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 Saudis draft plans to handle nuke strike 
David R. Sands
Senior government ministers in Saudi Arabia have drawn up contingency plans to deal with domestic health and security problems if U.S.-led forces resort to nuclear weapons in the military campaign against neighboring Iraq.
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 Report: Bomber in Northern Iraq Was Young Saudi 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The suicide bomber who killed an Australian cameraman in northern Iraq last week was a 22-year-old Saudi man who left home in the eastern Saudi city of Dammam a few months ago, a Saudi group said on Thursday.
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