By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Abdullah ibn Abdilazīz, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has died at the age of 90, Saudi state television has said. Saudi state run media television cut to Koranic verses early on Friday, which often signifies the death of a senior member of royal Royal Family, the House of Saud. Just a few minutes after cutting to readings of Koranic verses a formal announcement about King Abdullah’s passing was made, he had been hospitalized for several weeks and was suffering from pneumonia. Abdullah came to power in 2005 but had suffered frequent bouts of ill health in recent years.

United States President Barack Obama said of King Abdullah, “as a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions. One of those convictions was his steadfast and passionate belief in the importance of the US-Saudi relationship as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond,” he said.

According to Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra King Abdullah “is someone who is definitely going to be remembered as a reformist within the royal family.” State media also announced that Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, aged 79, is now officially the new Saudi king. “His Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1 a.m. this morning,” State TV reported.

The newly named King Salman called on the royal family’s Allegiance Council to recognize Prince Muqrin as the new crown prince. “His Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1am this morning,” the statement said.

King Abdullah has been called a reformer by some for his allowance of mild criticism of his government in the press. As king he also hinted that more women should be allowed to work in Saudi Arabia. However, throughout his reign as king Human Rights violations remained rampant in the country, most recently a webizen was convicted and sentenced to lashing for criticizing the state on an internet blog. Basic rights are denied to foreign workers in the country and freedom of movement is limited for women without a male companion and women are denied other rights including the right to drive.

For more information please see:

Al Jazeera – King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia dies – 22 January 2015

The Associated Press – Saudi State TV Reports: King Abdullah Has Died At 90 – 22 January 2015

BBC News – Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah dies – 22 January 2015

Bloomberg – Oil Surges in New York After Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Dies – 22 January 2015

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

SANAA, Yemen – Houthi fighters reportedly entered Yemen’s presidential palace after a brief clash with the presidential compound’s security guards, witnesses and security sources said. The attack comes a day after some of the worst fighting reported in the capital in several years. Guards at the presidential compound, which houses the main office of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, said they handed over the compound to Houthi fighters after a brief clash.

Before the fighters stormed the Presidential compound A tense calm seemed the be holding in Sanaa as Houthi rebels continued to surround the prime minister’s residence as well as the presidential palace, despite the fighters and the government reaching a ceasefire after a day of violence on Monday. As of Monday evening, nine people have been killed and at least 90 wounded in the fighting.

After Monday’s fighting a heavy presence of Houthi fighters was seen throughout Sanaa on Tuesday, as the rebels fortified their positions in the capital, which they seized after fighting in September last year.

Before the taking of the Presidential compound Al Jazeera’s Omar Al Saleh, reporting from Yemen, said the situation in the City was “tense but calm”. He said “A meeting is supposed to take place between all political players; President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Prime Minister Bahah and representatives of the Houthis, but it remains unclear if these talks have started.” “We’re all waiting to hear from this meeting,” he said, adding that the United Nations Security Council was scheduled to discuss the situation in Yemen in a closed session on Tuesday.

President Hadi and the Houthis fighters in Yemen accuse each other of failing to implement a United Nations brokered peace agreement calling for Hadi to form a new national unity government and reform government agencies and for the Houthis to withdraw their fighters from Yemen’s cities. The Houthis have also demanded integration of their militiamen into Yemen’s security forces which are dominated by Hadi. The ongoing power struggle between the Hadi and the Houthis has undermined Yemen’s ability to fight al-Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the recent fighting in Yemen, on January 7, his office released a statement condemning in the strongest terms an attack against a policy academy in Yemen’s capital which killed at leaste 37 people. A statement issued by his office said he “expresses his condolences to the victims’ families and wishes a swift recover to all those wounded.” The Statement also said, “The Secretary-General reiterates his previous calls to all Yemenis to work together and to fight terrorism and to bring security and stability to Yemen.”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called on the international community to pay greater attention to the ongoing violence in Yemmen. “Perhaps because of the violence engulfing so many other countries – relatively little attention is being paid to the situation in Yemen,” He said. “The past few weeks have seen dozens of people killed in a succession of bomb attacks in Yemen. Such wanton acts of indiscriminate violence are utterly deplorable.”

For more information please see:

Al Jazeera – Yemen’s Sanaa Tense But Calm As Truce Holds – 20 January 2015

Reuters – Houthis Take Yemen Presidential Palace-Witnesses, Sources – 20 January 2015

United Nations News Centre – UN Rights Chief Urges More Global Attention to ‘Wanton’ Violence in Yemen – 9 January 2015

United Nations News Centre – Yemen: Ban Condemns Deadly Attack on Police Academy, Calls for Accountability – 20 January 2015

By Max Bartels 

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

 

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

A Saudi Arabian Blogger named Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes after he was convicted of insulting Islam in 2014. On Friday he was subjected to the first of 20 sessions of public flogging, each session consisting of 50 lashes. Bawdawi was the co-founder of a website called the Liberal Saudi Network that has since been banned by the state. He was originally charged with apostasy, which would have carried the death sentence but was cleared of the charge. Instead he was convicted of a range of offences in the Saudi Anti-Terror Court for insulting Islam.

The flogging took place in the City of Jeddah outside a mosque. Bawdawi was brought to the site in police custody he was then read the charges against him in front of a crowd of spectators. After the charges were read he was made to turn his back on the crowd and receive his 50 lashes.

There has been much protest to the use of such harsh punishment by the U.S government and human rights activist groups. The Saudi Arabian Government remained silent after these statements were made and made no indication that the concerns of the international community were taken into consideration.

There are many in the international community who believe that Saudi Arabia is behaving no better than ISIS by giving out these punishments for religious crimes. Saudi Arabia is a primary ally in the Middle East for the U.S and is a member of the U.S led coalition to combat ISIS. However, many have compared the punishments given out by ISIS for religious based offenses including death and flogging to that of Saudi Arabia.

The international pressure against Saudi Arabia has been amplified after the recent attacks in Paris. The main focus of the demonstration following the attacks has been support for freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Badawi’s wife claims that her husband first created the online forum to encourage meaningful discussion of religion. Saudi Arabia’s harsh stance on anti-Islamic sentiment was a talking point for free speech and expression demonstrators in Paris. Saudi Arabia has not released a statement regarding Badawi’s conviction or punishment but have released statements condemning the Paris attacks, stating they were incompatible with Islam as well as sending a representative to Paris to show support for France.

For more information, please see:

BBC News — Saudi Blogger Badawi Flogged for Islam insult — 9 January 2015

CNN News — Saudi Arabian Rights Activist Reportedly Flogged Despite International Outcry — 13 January 2015

The Guardian — Global Outrage at Saudi Arabia as Jailed Blogger Receives Public Flogging — 11 January 2015

The Chicago Tribune — 1,000 Lashes for a Saudi Dissident — 12 January 2015