Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association
Encyclopedia
The Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) is a Saudi Arabia
n human rights
non-governmental organisation created in 2009.
situation in Saudi Arabia. The 11 founders are Professor Abdulkareem Yousef Al-Khathar, Dr. Abdulrahman Hamid Al-Hamid, Professor Abdullah H. Al-Hamid, who is a former professor of comparative literature
and founding member of the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights
, Fahad Abdulaziz Ali Al-Orani, Fowzan Mohsen Alharbi,
Easa Hamid Al-Hamid, Mhana Mohammed Al-Faleh, Dr. Mohammad Fahad Al-Qahtani, Mohammad Hamad Almohaisen, Mohammed Saleh Albejadi and Saud Ahmed Aldoughaither.
complained to King Abdullah
about the torture
of septuagenarian Judge Suliman Al-Reshoudi, whose feet were chained to his bed each night and who was forced to sit up during the day. In late March 2011, ACPRA's leader, Mohammad Fahad Al-Qahtani, stated that he saw about police detain about 50 out of 100 protestors at the Ministry of the Interior in Riyadh.
, in Buraidah
by Mabahith
, the internal security agency. ACPRA stated that the arrest was arbitrary, in violation of the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia
and the Law of Criminal Procedures.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
non-governmental organisation created in 2009.
Creation
ACPRA was created in 2009 by 11 human rights activists and academics in response to what was seen as a worsening human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
situation in Saudi Arabia. The 11 founders are Professor Abdulkareem Yousef Al-Khathar, Dr. Abdulrahman Hamid Al-Hamid, Professor Abdullah H. Al-Hamid, who is a former professor of comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
and founding member of the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights
Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights
The Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights was a Saudi dissident group created in 1993 which opposed the Saudi government as un-Islamic.-History:...
, Fahad Abdulaziz Ali Al-Orani, Fowzan Mohsen Alharbi,
Easa Hamid Al-Hamid, Mhana Mohammed Al-Faleh, Dr. Mohammad Fahad Al-Qahtani, Mohammad Hamad Almohaisen, Mohammed Saleh Albejadi and Saud Ahmed Aldoughaither.
Aims
It aims to promote human rights awareness, focussing on the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international human rights instruments, it calls for an elected parliament and the creation of legal institutions to support transparency and accountability. The ACPRA also calls for laws to protect minority rights and intends to document human rights violations.Statements and reports
In January 2011, ACPRA and Human Rights First SocietyHuman Rights First Society
The Human Rights First Society is a Saudi Arabian human rights non-governmental organisation led by Ibrahim al-Mugaiteeb since 2002.-Founding and status:...
complained to King Abdullah
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is the King of Saudi Arabia. He succeeded to the throne on 1 August 2005 upon the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. When Crown Prince, he governed Saudi Arabia as regent from 1998 to 2005...
about the torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
of septuagenarian Judge Suliman Al-Reshoudi, whose feet were chained to his bed each night and who was forced to sit up during the day. In late March 2011, ACPRA's leader, Mohammad Fahad Al-Qahtani, stated that he saw about police detain about 50 out of 100 protestors at the Ministry of the Interior in Riyadh.
Government responses
ACPRA co-founder Mohammed Saleh Albejadi (also Al-Bjady) was arrested on 21 March 2011, during the 2011 Saudi Arabian protests2011 Saudi Arabian protests
The 2011 Saudi Arabian protests have been influenced by the Arab Spring that started with the 2011 Tunisian revolution. One of the main online organisers of a planned 11 March "Day of Rage", Faisal Ahmed Abdul-Ahad , was alleged to have been killed by Saudi security forces on 2 March, by which time...
, in Buraidah
Buraidah
Buraidah is the capital of Al-Qassim Province in northcentral Saudi Arabia in the heart of the Arabian peninsula. Buraidah lies equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and the Persian Gulf to the east...
by Mabahith
Mabahith
The Mabahith , also spelled Mabaheth, is the secret police agency of the Ministry of Interior in Saudi Arabia.According to Human Rights Watch, the Mabahith "monitors suspected political opponents and others, targets individuals for arrest, and interrogates detainees...
, the internal security agency. ACPRA stated that the arrest was arbitrary, in violation of the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia
Basic Law of Saudi Arabia
The Basic Law of Saudi Arabia is a constitution-like charter divided into nine chapters, consisting of 83 articles...
and the Law of Criminal Procedures.
External links
- http://www.acpra.net/ ACPRA web site (mostly in Arabic)