US embassy cable - 08JEDDAH521

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.) 
 
 
JEDDAH 00000521  002 OF 003 
 
 
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