By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
WASHINGTON, United States – Ali Ahmad Asseri, a Saudi diplomat is seeking asylum in the United States after disclosing that his life is in danger for being a homosexual and for befriending a Jewish women. Mr. Asseri reported his fears to U.S. federal officials after being informed that the Saudi government refused to renew his diplomatic passport and had terminated his status as the first Secretary of the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles. Saudi officials stated that Mr. Asseri’s termination was the result of him being gay and now demand his return to Saudi Arabia.
In an email to NBC, Mr. Asseri expressed his fear of returning to Saudi Arabia stating “[m]y life is in danger here and if I go back to Saudi Arabia, they will kill me openly in broad daylight.” Mr. Asseri was questioned by the Department of Homeland Security after filing his request for asylum, contending that he is a member of a “particular social group” which faces prosecution and possibly death in Saudi Arabia. It is believed that consulate employees informed Saudi officials that Mr. Asseri was gay after following him to gay bars. After this discovery, Mr. Asseri was subjected to harassment by consulate officials who also continually monitored his private life.
In response to his firing, Mr. Asseri posted messages on a Saudi website criticizing the government for its “backwardness” and for “defac[ing] the tolerance of Islam.” In a warning to Saudi officials, Asseri further commented that he would release politically embarrassing information about the royal family if the government prosecutes him.
This is not the first time that a Saudi diplomat has sought asylum in the United States. In 1994, Mohammad al-Khilewi, a representative of Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the United Nations, sought protection in the United States after criticizing his government for human rights violations.
Although the Obama administration has not made any formal decisions regarding Mr. Asseri’s application, the government has recognized that homosexuals are often punished by death or flogging under Sharia law. In the latest State Department human rights report, the government acknowledged that the Saudis continue to deny political and religious rights to minorities and enforce the strictest punishments for what it considers sexual misconduct. The reported describes one instance where two Saudi men were publicly whipped 7000 times for their sexual preferences. Mr. Asseri fears that he will suffer a similar fate if forced to return to Saudi Arabia.
For more information, please see:
The Australian – Gay Consul Asylum Bid – 13 Sept. 2010
IndyPosted – Gay Saudi Diplomat Seeks Asylum in US – 12 Sept. 2010
Agence France Presse – Saudi Diplomat Seeks US Asylum – 11 Sept. 2010
MSNBC.com – Saudi Diplomat Seeks US Asylum: ‘My Life is in Danger’ – 11 Sept. 2010
