p2pnet news | Freedom:- Saudi blogger and former Ball State University student Fouad al-Farhan, who runs alfarhan.org, has been arrested by state security authorities for “interrogation” by the Saudi Interior Ministry.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said al-Farhan, 32, was “being questioned about specific violations of nonsecurity laws,” according to the New York Times.

His blog discusses social issues and is one of the most widely read in Saudi Arabia, says the story.

He was arrested on December 10, 2007, and friends are continuing to post on alfarhan.org under a Free Fouad banner.

“Fouad Al-Farhan is one of a very few Saudi bloggers who chooses to blog under their own name, publishes his picture and challenges the establishment with utter bravery has been arrested in Saudi,” says Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif, going on:

This is not Fouad’s first altercation with the authorities there. His blog has been banned in Saudi in February 2007. He resumed writing in July 2007 against almost continuous harassment. It was reported that he has been led from his office in Jeddah without any reason given.

If the reason for his arrest is due to his writing, then this is obviously a gross violation of an individual’s basic human right to freedom of expression. I call on the Saudi authorities to respect their role in the world and immediately release Fouad Al-Farhan and call on them to guarantee his safety throughout his detention.

Hang in there Fouad, you have a lot of friends with you. I applaud your determination to speak your mind for the better of our community.

Al-Farhan is, “one of the pioneer Saudi bloggers,” posts Ahmed Al-Omran on Global Voices.

“He was born in 1975 in Taif, west of Saudi Arabia, and received his higher education in the United States. He graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in marketing, then joined Ball State University for a masters degree in computer sciences. ‘Although Bush and his gang have been trying to remove all my good memories from my life in America, but I still think that I have lived the best years of my life there, moving between different states such as Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, and Indiana,’ he told me during an interview via email.”

Says a letter reproduced on his blog >>>

I was told that there is an official order from a high-ranking official in the Ministry of the Interior to investigate me. They will pick me up anytime in the next 2 weeks.

The issue that caused all of this is because I wrote about the political prisoners here in Saudi Arabia and they think I’m running a online campaign promoting their issue. All what I did is wrote some pieces and put side banners and asked other bloggers to do the same.

he asked me to comply with him and sign an apology. I’m not sure if I’m ready to do that. An apology for what? Apologizing because I said the government is liar when they accused those guys to be supporting terrorism?

To expect the worst which is to be jailed for 3 days till we write good feedback about you and let u go

there may be no jial and only apologizing letter. But, if it’s more than three days, it should be out. I don’t want to be forgotten in jail. hat there is an order from a high-ranking official in the Ministry of the Interior to investigate me. They will pick me up anytime in the next 2 weeks.

Stay tuned.

Slashdot it!

Also see:
New York Times - Saudis Confirm Detention of Blogger, January 2, 2008
Bahraini blogger - Bahrain - ‘Not again!’, November 25, 2005
Mahmood Al-Yousif - Saudi blogger Fouad Al-Farhan arrested, December 23, 2007
Global Voices - Fouad Al-Farhan: We Have to Move On, March 23, 2006

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008 at 7:21 am and is filed under Freedom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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