The Religious Policeman

Prince Nayif, the most stupid and conservative of all the senior Princes, is still not releasing the remaining imprisoned activists.

Talks to release Saudi reformists fail

Supporters of six Saudi reformists arrested this month said on Wednesday they had failed to secure their release after talks with the kingdom's powerful interior minister.


About a dozen pro-reform activists met Prince Nayif late on Monday but the discussions revealed deep differences between authorities and campaigners, liberal university professor Khalid al-Dakhil said.

"The discussion went very well but on the other hand it was clear there is a gulf of misunderstanding between the reformers and the government," he said.

The "gulf of misunderstanding" is that when the government talks about reform, that is what it is. Talk. Whereas the reformists actually want something to happen. But that's not on the government's agenda.

And the reason that those Reformers remain imprisoned, is that they have not yet signed some form of spurious "confession". (The same that Nayif got the Western so-called "booze-bombers" to sign, even though the bombings continued while they were in prison. But we'll save that story for another day). And God knows what sort of pressure they are being put under. We don't have "Public Defenders", "Prison Visitors", "Habeas Corpus" or any other such nicety.

I wish them courage. They'll need it.