SAUDI BLOGGER/ACTIVIST PREVENTED FROM TRAVEL TO

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 JEDDAH 000521

NOFORN
SIPDIS

RIYADH PASS TO DHAHRAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2018
TAGS: PGOV EINT PHUM PINR PINS PREL PTER
SUBJECT: SAUDI BLOGGER/ACTIVIST PREVENTED FROM TRAVEL TO
ARAB FREE PRESS FORUM IN BEIRUT

REF: A. REF A: RIYADH 1657

B. REF B: RIYADH 0005

Classified By: CG Martin Quinn for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: On December 10, 2008, Saudi authorities
prevented blogger and activist Fouad Al-Farhan from boarding
a plane to Beirut where he was scheduled to address an annual
(December 10-14) conference on freedom of the press. At a
meeting with Consulate Jeddah officers in November,
Al-Farhan, who was detained for four months ending in April
of 2008, announced his intention to launch a new website in
the style of the Huffington Post on December 10. He also
claimed he helped organize the recent country-wide fast to
show solidarity with jailed intellectuals (Reftel A),and
that he was personally warned by Assistant Interior Minister
Prince Mohammad bin Naif to cease his political writings.
Al-Farhan is one of a small group of activists, none of whom
have significant influence within the KSA, who ran afoul of
the MOI because he was calling for the release of a number of
individuals jailed on terrorism charges. END SUMMARY.

Travel ban
--------------


2. (S/NF) Fouad Al-Farhan, a Saudi blogger and political
activist (please protect),was prevented recently from
traveling from Saudi Arabia to Lebanon to speak at the annual
Arab Free Press Forum, organized by the World Association of
Newspapers and the Lebanese daily An-Nahar. According to
another Saudi blogger, Yasser Al Ghaslan (please protect),
Arab journalists from Tunisia and Syria were also prevented
from traveling to the conference by their governments.
Al-Farhan seemed unaware that he would be prohibited from
leaving the country when he arrived at the airport the
evening of December 10. The travel ban appears to be yet
another round in the ongoing confrontation between Al-Farhan
and Saudi authorities which started last year.

Background
--------------


3. (S/NF) On November 19, Acting CG and Pol/EconOff met with
Al-Farhan whose four-month detention from December 2007
through April 2008 (Ref B) was widely covered by
international media. Al-Farhan's day job is as a content
manager for Okaz (Arabic) and the Saudi Gazette (English),
two widely-read mainstream daily newspapers. This was the
first meeting between State Department officers and Al-Farhan
though he reported previous contact with Jeddah GRPO.


4. (S/NF) Al-Farhan expressed ambivalence regarding contacts
with the USG. On the one hand he complained that the US
government has been noticeably removed from both his own case
and that of other human rights activists. However, while he
urged US signals of support for free speech in Saudi Arabia,
he noted that many of his associates do not wish to have any
involvement with foreign governments, preferring that their
movement be entirely home-grown and independent. Al-Farhan
also said that even meeting with USG employees was risky,
claiming that Assistant Interior Minister Prince Mohammad bin
Naif (MBN) publicly proclaimed he would "cut out the tongues"
of any activist who meets with foreign officials. At the same
time, Al-Farhan expressed interest in the International
Visitor Program, emphasizing his hope that some of the
younger activists and bloggers with whom he works might have
the chance to go to the US for professional visits, perhaps
focusing on law.

Mixed royal signals?
--------------


5. (S/NF) Al-Farhan said that when he was released from his
detention in April 2008, MBN met with him in person to advise
him to curtail his actions, explaining that Saudi Arabia is
engaged in a war on terror and that his type of activity
would not be tolerated. Al-Farhan reported that he was told
to behave and to act as a good citizen which he understood to
mean a person who does not engage in political activity.


6. (S/NF) Al-Farhan claimed that several other princes have
contacted him since his release expressing support for his
actions including a "Prince Turki." (Note: It is not clear
to which Prince Turki he was alluding.)


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Al-Farhan role in protest fast
--------------


7. (S/NF) Al-Farhan claimed that he played a significant
role in organizing the recent fast -- which participants
referred to hyperbolically as a "hunger strike" -- held in
early November throughout the Kingdom in protest against the
detention of eleven intellectuals (Reftel B). There was
never any public acknowledgment that Al-Farhan was involved
with these protests and his name and phone number did not
appear alongside the list of others who put their information
on a publicly-accessible website. Al-Farhan claimed that he
approached a number of families regarding the fast and
achieved success in getting four of them to participate.

Al-Farhan's detention
--------------


8. (S/NF) Al-Farhan described how he had been questioned and
warned by authorities in 2006, long before his eventual
arrest. According to his account, he was picked up in his
office by MOI officials and forced to go with them for a chat
over tea. They warned him to stop his blogging activity and
said that if he followed the order he would be left alone.
Following the meeting, Al-Farhan did cease his activity for
some time until he felt there was an opening to resume.


9. (S/NF) In 2007 Al-Farhan's blog became increasingly
critical of the SAG, calling out a list of ten SAG officials
whom he didn't like and unintentionally encouraging other
bloggers to produce their own lists. According to Al-Farhan,
the Saudis began viewing him as an instigator and detained
him on December 10, 2007, Human Rights Day. Al-Farhan noted
that the significance of the date was not lost on the police
who allegedly promised that there would be a cake waiting for
him in jail to mark the occasion. Al-Farhan described the
detention center where he was sent as a political prison, and
said he was jailed next to Al Qaida terrorists and held in
solitary confinement. He stated that he was not allowed
contact with lawyers and was held without charge, and also
denied regular family contact. He added that he was denied
access to all printed materials and even the ability to go
outside, which were considered privileges.


10. (S/NF) Al-Farhan said that friends and fellow bloggers
supported him during his detention by raising contributions
of 15,000 Saudi Riyals monthly (roughly 4000 USD) to help
support his wife and children. He explained that there is an
understanding among this group that they will come to each
other's aid should any be jailed for political activity.
Additionally many individuals came to Al-Farhan's rescue
through the creation of various websites aimed at releasing
the blogger and publicizing his work. This included the
well-publicized "Free Fouad" Facebook page. Al-Farhan
believes that his detention may have inspired additional
young bloggers and activists, and pointed to the electronic
dissemination and re-publication of many of his more
controversial pieces by supporters.


11. (S/NF) Al-Farhan said that during his detention, the
government-run Human Rights Commission would not consider his
case, claiming that it was too political. The
quasi-governmental National Society for Human Rights offered
to make a statement and was somewhat helpful. Al-Farhan
claims to have links with outside human rights organizations
including Human Rights Watch. Al-Farhan has been largely
inactive since his release, aside from some limited writing
and his involvement in the recent fast. He said he has not
been contacted by the police or by the MOI, which he finds
surprising. He pointed out that many of his peers that have
been arrested for similar types of activity have had to go
through monthly parole-like meetings to insure that they are
keeping out of trouble.

A Return to blogging
--------------


12. (S/NF) Al-Farhan stated that he and several close
associates planned to launch a new website on December 10 in
order to focus attention on important news pieces,
particularly those related to the issue of freedom of speech.
He described the new site as a Saudi version of the Drudge
Report or the Huffington Post. To date the website has yet to
make its debut. While Al-Farhan initially intended to limit
commentary to the organizers of the blog, he envisioned

JEDDAH 00000521 003 OF 003


eventually opening up the site for public comment. The plan
was for the website to operate on a non-Saudi ISP. Al-Farhan
stated that he did not expect the site to be censored at the
outset through the blocking of the website on Saudi servers,
but he thought that eventually censorship would occur. (Note:
Many Saudis use constantly changing proxy servers to access
blocked websites so basing the website abroad will make it
very difficult for authorities to prevent access to the
site.) Meanwhile, Al-Farhan's wife has begun her own blog
focusing on women,s rights. Al-Farhan said his wife had not
initially supported his political activity, but over time has
been won over and now wants to do her part to promote reform.

Al-Farhan's agenda
--------------


13. (S/NF) Al Farhan describes himself as an advocate of
free speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to publish in
all media. He also calls for government reform and expanded
women,s rights. He believes that the Free Fouad movement cut
across many lines including age and degree of religious
conservatism. Saudi,s youthful population and rising
internet penetration have led to a growing number of
observers and participants in the blogging community.
Al-Farhan claims that many of his original supporters were
Islamists but that now the movement has become more
broad-based. He believes that the members share a common love
of country and religion, and a desire to be able to criticize
the government in public and private in a push for freer
speech.


14. (S/NF) Al-Farhan does not typically work with other
major blogs such as Al Saha and Tumar. He says that these
blogs appeal only to the elite, whereas he is trying to
appeal to the common people. This is part of the reason that
Fouad chooses to write only in Arabic, despite English blogs
being less scrutinized by the government.


15. (S/NF) COMMENT: Al-Farhan is one of a small group of
activists, none of whom so far have significant influence
inside the Kingdom. As the Mission understands it, he ran
afoul the MOI because he was calling - witting or not -- for
the release of a number of individuals jailed on terrorism
charges. While these persons claimed to be mere political
reformers, there is evidence, recorded in our own USG
channels, that at least three had terrorist finance links.
It is not clear to us that Al-Farhan actually had a role in
organizing the recent fast protest, but if true, it would
represent a step beyond his largely cyber-based advocacy.
However, as noted in Reftel A, such "protests" are largely
symbolic and do not as yet garner much support beyond the
confines of cyberspace, however much they irritate the SAG.
It is likely that the government will not welcome the launch
of a new website/blog by Al-Farhan, should he decide to go
forward with his plans following his travel ban, but Mission
agrees with Al-Farhan,s assessment that initially at least,
it will not/not be censored. END COMMENT.
QUINN