Riyadh (AsiaNews) – A Saudi blogger, whose detention without charge four months ago sparked criticism from human rights groups and the US government, has been freed. Fouad al-Farhan (see photo, in the middle) was arrested on 10 December for violating “regulations” but was never charged.
Arab News had reported that two weeks before his arrest Farhan had written friends that he expected to be detained because he had written in favour a group of reformists arrested in February 2007 for alleged links to terror groups.
Prior to his arrest, he had also criticised religious extremism and a number of influential Saudis on his blog.
Some friends kept his blog going until it was blocked early this month.
The same fate befell two others who had raised awareness about Fahran’s predicament.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack had also raised the issue saying that wherever people are seeking to express themselves, whatever the means, whether in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere, the US stood for that freedom of expression.
Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed said yesterday that the media had exaggerated the case and that Farhan had been arrested for his mistakes.
“The issue (of Al-Farhan) was not that important;” the prince said. “A man who commits a mistake should bear its result,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted him as saying.