Human rights activists in Saudi Arabia have confirmed that the Kingdom’s security forces have detained the prominent academic Dr Mohsen Al Awaaji. It is believed that his political views, notably his condemnation of the coup d‘etat against President Muhammed Morsi, may have been the main reason.
Sources close to Al Awaaji recall that he had recently called for the signing of a petition demanding Morsi’s reinstatement. Additionally, during a programme on Al Majd TV, Al Awaaji urged on Arab and Muslim rulers to carry out urgent reform and change without the Arab Spring, ‘if it is the [Arab] Spring they fear’.
In a related matter, it has been reported that a female Saudi writer and journalist, Iman Al Qahtani, has been barred from traveling abroad.