Saudi Arabia: Human rights watch

Saudi Association for Civil and Political Rights founding member Abdelrahman Al-Hamid has been sentenced to nine years in jail, barred from travelling abroad for nine years after his release and fined $13,300, for illegally establishing a human rights organisation, questioning the judiciary’s credibility and independence, disobeying the king and interfering with the national Saudi Human Rights Commission. Fellow activist Abdelaziz Al-Sinedi received an eight-year sentence, was barred from travelling for another eight years and fined, for inciting public opinion against the monarchy, questioning the judiciary’s independence and describing the kingdom as a police state.