Headline Stories
Bernie Blinks, Pulls out War Powers Resolution
December 14, 2022
Senator Bernie Sanders pulled out the war powers resolution that if passed would have ended U.S. support for the Saudi war against Yemen. He did it in exchange for a meeting with the White House of the subject. Ryan Grim and Ken Klippenstein fill in the details in this article on the Intercept and TSVN interviews Isaac Evans-Frantz here. Maybe he didn't have the votes. So he should have plowed ahead and showed Americans what the Democratic leadership is really like.
The Democrats look like huge hypocrites. They had Congress vote a similar resolution twice under Trump. Now they pull back not to embarrass Joe "Fistbump" Biden. And under whose administration did this support for MBS war begin...Barack "Nobel Peace Prize" Obama in 2015.
Now it won't be til January that the matter is brought up again. Who know what crisis will come up in the meantime.
Groups Call on Saudis to Stop Executions for Drug Offenses
35 Non-governmental organizations have called o the Saudi monarchy to stop killing prisoners convicted of drug offenses. In 2020 executions stopped for these crimes, but on November 10, 2022, Saudi Arabia suddenly and without warning resumed executions for drug-related offences. The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights said that on November 24 the Saudi government announced 20 had been executed. In their letter the groups noted, that the"Saudi government's handling of the death penalty is shrouded in secrecy, as the Kingdom does not publish the number of individuals facing punishment, their names, or their legal status. Despite this, tracking by ESOHR confirms that dozens of detainees are currently on death row for drug offenses."
The signers of the letter are: 1 - Abdorrahman Boroumand Centre on Human Rights in Iran 2 - Acción Técnica social 3 - Al-Qst 4 - Andean Action 5 - Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) 6 - Bahrain Centre against Torture 7 - Capital Punishment Justice Project 8 - Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign 9 - Correlation - European Harm Reduction Network 10 - Drug Policy Alliance 11 - Eleos Justice, Monash University 12 - Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort (ECPM) 13 - European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) 14 - Harm Reduction Australia 15 - Harm Reduction International (HRI) 16 - Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights 17 - HIV Legal Network 18 - Instituto Ria 19 - Intercambios Civil Association 20 - International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) 21 - Latinoamérica Reforma 22 - Lawyers Collective 23 - LBH Masyarakat 24 - Medicines du Monde 25 - World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) 26 - Organisation for the Prevention of Intense Suffering (OPIS) 27 - Release 28 - Reprieve 29 - Rights Reporter Foundation 30 - Safer Drug Policies Norway 31 - Salam for Democracy and Human Rights 32 - SSDP International 33 - Stella, l'amie de Maimie 34 - Women and Harm Reduction International Network (WHRIN) 35 - World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
Contact Congress and ask it vote for Sanders' War Powers Res
December 2022
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont says he has 100 legislators behind a measure in Congress that would end U.S. support for the Saudi aggression against Yemen. You may have heard that there has been a truce, but the Saudi blockade has not stopped and the truce could end at any moment.
Click here for more about his attempt and about the war on Yemenis.
Sentences U.S. citizen to 16 years in prison for tweets
December 10, 2022
Saudi-American Saad Ibrahim Almadi sentenced to 13 years in prison for tweets he did while living in the U.S. Read Josh Rogin's article in the Washington Post. From the article, " Nobody from the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh visited Almadi until May, six months after his arrest. At that meeting, Almadi declined to ask the U.S. government to intervene. Ibrahim said that Saudi jailers threaten to torture prisoners who involve foreign governments in their cases."
Floods Devastate Jeddah
November 29, 2022
In a country of immense wealth it's second largest city, Jeddah suffered flash floods in major streets after 7" of rain.
Video of flooding on Twitter #JeddahFlood Click here and here
Over 10 years ago Ali Al Ahmed wrote about the pitful state of infrastructure in Jeddah at The Guardian (UK)
Fear of Another Mass Execution in Saudi
Signs that the rulers of Saudi Occupied Arabia may be planning another mass execution. The last one in March saw 81 executed in a single day. The signs, "trials" that result in very long sentences, many death-penalty sentences, but no executions. The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights is sending out a warning call and asking us two Tweet #StopTheSlaughter @ESCHumanRights
Here's something to do. Phone the DC office of your member of Congress (24/7). Here's a possible message: A group of Saudis in Europe are worried that there may soon be immediate mass executions in Saudi Arabia. There's been many recent death penalty sentences, but no executions. I fear another mass execution. I ask you to use your influence to get the president and the State Department to press the Saudis not to execute prisoners.
And/or share this tweet
https://twitter.com/ESOHumanRights/status/1586982899496239104
Where are the "Consequences"?
Nov. 1, 2022
On October 11th Joe Biden was supposedly very angry. The Saudi-led OPEC+ had announced deep cuts in oil production to drive up prices just at a time when Biden was trying to keep gas prices down just before the mid-term election. The New York Times said it was "viewed as a betrayal by the White House". It wasn't just politics. The price rise also improved the fortunes of Vladimir Putin with whom the U.S. is engaged in warfare. So the two-million gallon a day cut was a big deal.
However, the weeks have rolled by without anyone noticing any consequences.
It's not that there are no ideas. On October 16 Jim Geraghty in the Washington Post wrote that he had a "ready-made" suggestion for the president. He suggested Biden suspend building a "major testing facility in Saudi Arabia". NBC reports it's going to be used to figure out defenses against drones and "signal-jamming and directed energy " The project was only approved in September so it would be easy to "suspend".
There's also arms sales. Senator Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, called for an immediate freeze on “all aspects of our cooperation with Saudi Arabia." No comment on this from the White House.
There's plenty more the U.S. could do, and should do no matter what MBS is doing to the price of oil. He could call for freedom for U.S. citizen Saad Ibrahim Almadi who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for tweets he made while in the United States. It could have the State Department list and publicize the names of all American citizens locked up in Saudi dungeons. It could suspend U.S. technical aid to the Saudi air force.
So what is he waiting for?
Blumenthal and Khanna Say No More Guns to KSA
From their press release: October 11, 2022 Press Release
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) announced the introduction of bicameral legislation to stop U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The announced legislation comes after Saudi Arabia sided with Russia to cut oil production at last week’s OPEC+ meeting, supporting Russia in its brutal war against Ukraine and undermining global oil supply.
“This simple yet urgent measure would halt U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia after their deeply offensive, destructive blunder: siding with Russia at this historic moment. Saudis must reverse their oil supply cuts, which aid and abet Russia’s savage criminal invasion, endanger the world economy, and threaten higher gas prices at U.S. pumps. We cannot continue selling highly sensitive arms technology to a nation aligned with an abhorrent terrorist adversary,” said Blumenthal. “I’m proud to sponsor this bicameral legislation to send a strong message to the Saudis as our country works to rebalance this one-sided relationship. I urge my colleagues to support this essential bill and will fight for its swift passage.”
“Saudi Arabia’s disastrous decision to slash oil production by two million barrels a day makes it clear that Riyadh is seeking to harm the U.S. and reaffirms the need to reassess the U.S.-Saudi relationship. There is no reason for the U.S. to kowtow to a regime that has massacred countless civilians in Yemen, hacked to death a Washington-based journalist, and is now extorting Americans at the pump,” said Khanna. “My bill with Senator Blumenthal to halt U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia will force MBS to reconsider his efforts to jack up global oil prices. There must be consequences for fleecing the American people in order to support Putin’s unconscionable war.”
The Fist bump
Any pretense that Biden is trying to demand accountability for the murder of Khashoggi is gone.
Saudi "Ally" of US Buys Lots More Russian Oil
July 16, 2022
Biden has returned from Saudi Arabia after asking for more oil production . No agreement was announced. What we do know is that the kingdom isn't trying at all to confront Russia. Reuters reports that it doubled the amount of oil it purchased from Russia this second quarter compared to last year.
Washington Post Journalist Blasts Biden
June 23, 2022
Click here for Karen Attiah's article
Saudis Execute 81 Including 40 Protesters
March 12, 2022
Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher was only 15 years old when he was arrested by Saudi police on 3 March 2012 for his participation in a peaceful protest. Saudi authorities did not present a warrant. During his arrest, Saudi police shot at Abdullah before beating him in the street with their weapons. He was eventually taken to the General Directorate of Investigation in Dammam, where Saudi authorities held him incommunicado and solitary detention for three months. During his detention, Saudi police tortured Abdullah by beating him all over his body with an iron wire. They then forced him to sign a confession without allowing him to read it.
The U.S. and British backed #Saudi Monarchy commits a massacre against 81 prisoners including dozens of protesters in the largest ever mass execution in the country’s history . #MBS , his father the king are involved in this crime.
UN Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet condemned the execution and called for the return the bodies of those executed to their families. That latter point may sound obvious, but refusing to allow an executed person's family to bury their loved one is considered part of the punishment. The body of Sheikh Nimr al Nimr who was executed in 2016 on Jan. 2, 2016 with 46 other people has not been returned to his family.
See the twitter handle @AliAlAhmed_en for the pictures of others killed by the Saudis today.
Raif Badawi Released from Prison after 10 Years
March 11, 2022
Raif bin Muhammad Badawi is a Saudi writer, dissident and activist, as well as the creator of the website Free Saudi Liberals. Badawi was arrested in 2012 on a charge of "insulting Islam through electronic channels" and brought to court on several charges, including apostasy.
He was also awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom by the European Parliament in 2015.
For his "crime" he served ten years in prison. He was freed on 3/11/22,, but was banned from leaving Saudi (occupied) Arabia for 10 years
Exclusive Report in the Guardian
March 12, 2022 As far as can be told no major newspaper in the U.S. picked up on this story.
December 31, 2021. The British paper "The Guardian" reports that " three members of a Saudi hit squad convicted by the kingdom of murdering Jamal Khashoggi are living and working “in seven-star accommodation” inside a government-run security compound in Riyadh. " One of them is Salah al-Tubaigy who used the bone saw to kill and dismember Khashoggi. According to the AP a Turkish newspaper published an account of a recording where al-Tubaigy remarks, "When I do this job I listen to music. You should too."
Al-Tubaigy is still listed as being on the Board of the Saudi Society of Forensic Medicine. The society has a journal and famed U.S. forensic scientist Henry C. Lee is still listed as being on its Editorial Board. Lee is a professor (emeritus) of the University of New Haven which has been criticized for its contract with the King Fahd Security College. The Forensic Society is housed at that college. Click here for details.
MBS Turns his Wrath on Lebanon
November 1, 2021. No doubt furious over his failure in Yemen Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is acting against Lebanon. The KSA has banned imports from Lebanon, which will cost the country millions. The Lebanese ambassador has been ordered out of the kingdom and MBS ambassador has returned from Lebanon.
Supposedly the KSA is outraged by a comment by a Lebanese TV host turned government Information Minister named George Kordahi. The AP reports that weeks before he joined the government Kordahi, "In one answer, he called the war in Yemen 'absurd' and said the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked no one and have the right to defend themselves. "
Other tyrant regimes are following the Saudi path (orders). The UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait have ordered Lebanese officials out of their countries. The countries could all join and throw Lebanese of the KSA and Gulf countries. The AP says that's 350,000 workers. That would be a tremendous blow to Lebanon which is already in economic meltdown. It hasn't recovered from the blast a year ago that destroyed much of the port area of its capital Beirut.
Several years ago MBS started a beef with Qatar. Eventually things were patched up. Qatar sits on huge methane deposits so it was not a huge deal for the country. Lebanon sits on debts.
Empty Saudi Pledge for ‘Net Zero’
November 3, 2021. For the Cop26 conference this month in Glasgow the Saudi family is pledging the country it rules will go “net zero” by 2060. “Net zero” means “greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere”. It sounds nice, but it’s pretty much a scam because it gives an excuse to fossil fuel producers and users to continue burning the stuff indefinitely in hopes that one day carbon capture will actually be cheap enough to use. (Right now, there’s a Swiss company that will do it for $600 a ton!)
So a promise has been wafted to the air, but as for what’s happening on (and under) the ground Saudi Arabia plans to expand oil production by a million barrels a year by 2027. That’s an 8% increase. This at a time when UN scientists tell us the world must CUT greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half by 2030.
According the Byline Times a British government Department for International Trade (DIT) has written, “Saudi Aramco is exploiting natural gas reserves off the Red Sea coast to support increased domestic demand. This will involve using deepwater technologies for drilling below 1,000 metres." The DIT encourages British business to join in the effort. The Byline Times reports the Saudis plan to use, “carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and direct air capture (DAC) to capture the carbon and store it in the ground. However, there is little scientific evidence that these technologies are feasible.”
Says Documents Bolster Claim of Saudi Connection to 9/11
The FBI has closed its investigation of Saudis who had been in the U.S. who were thought to have connections with Saudi officials and who were all part of the 9/11 attack planning. Three men were particular targets of FBI study. The FBI says, its investigators found "insufficient evidence" to charge any of the three with illegally supporting the hijackers.
However, as the Washington Post reports, "Brett Eagleson, whose father, Bruce, died in the World Trade Center attack, said in a statement that the details in the documents 'help bolster the arguments that high-level Saudi officials aided and supported the 9/11 hijackers."”