BANNED SAUDI WEBSITE LAUNCHES ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VERSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAHRAN 000222 NOFORN SIPDIS PLEASE PASS TO NEA/ARP JEREMY BERNDT E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/19/2019 TAGS: PGOV KIRF KISL PHUM SA SUBJECT: BANNED SAUDI WEBSITE LAUNCHES ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VERSION REF: A. A. 06 RIYADH 5315 ¶B. B. DHAHRAN 46 ¶C. C. DHAHRAN 217 DHAHRAN 00000222 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Kevin Kreutner, Acting Consul General, EXEC, DOS. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) SUMMARY: -------------- ¶1. (C/NF) Rasid.com, the popular Arabic-language news website run by a small group of Saudi Shia political activists, launched an English-language version on August 1. The managing editor of Rasid explained that they hope to reach a larger audience with the English-language version. Both the Arabic and English websites are blocked by Saudi authorities. While the website is politically motivated to highlight the discrimination of the Shia and other human rights violations that take place in Saudi Arabia, and its biases must always be taken into account, it remains a credible source of information about events that are generally not covered in licensed Saudi newspapers. END SUMMARY. REACHING A BROADER AUDIENCE: -------------- ¶2. (C/NF) In an August 10 meeting, Hussein al-Alaq (strictly protect) told PolOff that Rasid.com had officially launched their English-language news website on August 1. In past meetings, al-Alaq had mentioned the possibility of an English version of the website, popular among Saudi Shia and liberals. Echoing the sentiments of many Saudi activists, al-Alaq believes that outside pressure, particularly from the U.S. and Europe, is the most effective way to convince the SAG to change what he says are discriminatory policies. RASID.COM MANAGEMENT: -------------- ¶3. (C/NF) When asked how he and his partners managed the website, al-Alaq said there are only "about five people" that work directly on the website, and that he was the managing editor in charge of strategic direction. However, he made it clear that each of the contributors has a great deal of autonomy when choosing which individual story to report. Though al-Alaq would not identify his partners, it is clear that they all have day jobs and that they spend time following stories and managing the website on their own time. ¶4. (C/NF) Al-Alaq said that one of the partners managing Rasid.com has been doing all of the English translations. (NOTE: So far, the translations have been generally accurate and of decent quality. END NOTE.) He would not name the translator or other partners, but a number of Shia contacts have commented on different occasions that Jaffar al-Shayeb (strictly protect) is involved with the media outlet, possibly financing and/or providing news content. PolOff also suspects that the young and aspiring Shia activist, Walid Sulais (strictly protect),is assisting in the writing and managing of Rasid, if not a full-fledged partner. Nevertheless, PolOff is almost certain that the individuals running Rasid.com are all from Qatif, the majority Shia oasis north of Dhahran on the Gulf coast. OPERATING A BANNED WEBSITE IN SAUDI ARABIA: -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) Rasid.com is blocked by Saudi authorities, and therefore inaccessible to internet subscribers in KSA. Al-Alaq explained to PolOff that each time the SAG blocks Rasid's URL address, Rasid simply modifies it slightly and emails the new address to a select group of loyal readers on their listserv, who then forward it to their trusted friends, and so on. They DHAHRAN 00000222 002.2 OF 002 have gone through this process dozens of times, and post contacts have described it to PolOff on other occasions (ref A). Despite these difficulties, al-Alaq claims that the website receives anywhere between 12,000 and 24,000 visits per day. (NOTE: The original URL -- www.rasid.com -- is always maintained and available to internet subscribers outside of KSA. END NOTE.) ¶6. (C/NF) Until now, Rasid.com has been financed entirely by the approximately five partners who manage and operate the site. As noted in para 3, the prominent Shia political activist Jaffar al-Shayeb may be a partner and provide a significant source of financing, though PolOff has not been able to confirm this claim. When asked about possibly selling advertising space as a source of revenue, al-Alaq said that several companies (which he would not name) have offered to pay for the right to advertise on the website. However, he and his partners have not been able to arrange a payment scheme that would avoid unwanted attention from the Saudi authorities. For now, they are able to manage with the limited resources available to them since the partners do most of the investigating, writing, web design, and website management themselves. POLITICALLY MOTIVATED, YET GENERALLY CREDIBLE: -------------- ¶7. (C/NF) Al-Alaq does not deny that the ultimate goal of Rasid.com is to help the Shia overcome discrimination in Saudi Arabia. He has emphasized to PolOff on several occasions that he and his partners believe that the best way to do this is to let the facts speak for themselves. (NOTE: Al-Alaq was a participant in a PD-sponsored International Visitor program and visited U.S. civil society institutions across several states in September 2007, and has said that this experience has helped shape his views on the role of journalism in society. END NOTE.) COMMENT: -------------- ¶8. (C/NF) In general, post views Rasid.com as a reliable source of information, particularly on subjects that are often intentionally ignored by licensed Saudi media outlets. The Mission has cited Rasid in the annual International Religious Freedom report as well as the Human Rights report. Although a typical Rasid story is often peppered with politically loaded terms and qualifiers, the facts being reported are generally accurate. This was the case with the Medina incident and subsequent protests in Qatif in February and March (ref B),as well as the Khobar mosque closings that have taken place over the past year (ref C). Nevertheless, the political objectives of Rasid's founders must always be taken into account when judging the credibility of any particular story. END COMMENT. KREUTNER