King Abdullah’s gone, but the Saudi monarchy’s pact with the mosques remains
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who ruled since 2005, has died at a time of serious regional unrest – political, economic and social. He presided over a regime that has a zero tolerance approach to dissent, peaceful or not. For expressing opinions critical of the political system or the religious establishment, thousands have been prosecuted, detained, banned from travel, or – as in the case of 11 members of a civil rights organisation working to end arbitrary detention and calling for a constitutional monarchy – given lengthy prison sentences .
But western leaders have always seen Abdullah as a friend. In fact the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, said of him: “In a very discreet way he was a strong advocate of women” – despite the fact that two Saudi women drivers’ activists have been held in prisons since early December on terror-related charges of using social media to incite public opinions and defame the country.… Seguir leyendo »