The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) reports that Saudi authorities have arrested Hamoud Bin Saleh (at right) and blocked his blog following his online announcement that he has converted from Islam to Christianity.

Based on information obtained by ANHRI, the Saudi authorities jailed the young blogger at the infamous Eleisha political prison in Riyadh; a prison which in 2004 witnessed the arrest of the reformists Matrouk el Falih, Ali el Domini and Eissa al Hamed.

The 28-year-old alumni of the al Yarmouk University in Jordan has been arrested twice before; for nine months in 2004 and last Nov. Saudi Arabia, which decided to sponsor an interfaith dialog conference in New York last Nov. and because his arrest may tarnish its image and expose the Saudi government’s false allegations, has to set him free. That conference was attended by representatives of 80 countries.

But the blogger re-arrest, after the conference wrapped up, raised fears upon his life because the entire world is busy following up the aggression on Gaza and the Saudi authorities may seize the chance to make him an example with nobody watching.

ANHRI condemns the arrest and calls on the Saudi government to act in accordance with the Saudi king’s  proclaimed tolerance for freedoms of speech and religion.

Mr Saleh’s blog is Saudi Masihi (Arabic).

h/t: Global Voices Advocacy

Possibly related posts

• 1 February 2009 -- Why is Blogger blocking Saudi Christian’s weblog?
• 14 April 2009 -- Saudis release Christian blogger after ten weeks in custody
• 27 April 2009 -- Christian blogger detained in Egyptian prison
• 18 March 2009 -- Maldives censors Christians and dissidents

Tags: Blogging, Civil liberties, Hamoud Bin Saleh, Persecution, Saudi Arabia
Filed under: Asia-Pacific, Christianity, Islam, Media and Journalism
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