Saudi Activist Blogger Freed After Four Months in Jail

On April 27, Saudi Arabia's most widely-read blogger, Fouad al-Farhan, was released after serving 137 days in prison without charge. Prior to his arrest, Farhan had used his blog to publicly condemn the widespread corruption within the Saudi justice system and to criticize the arrest of nine political reform advocates. After authorities warned him to tone down his online writings, Farhan was arrested, sparking both fear and a sense of empowerment among fellow bloggers. Human Rights Watch, along with other rights groups and activists, called on Saudi authorities to release Farhan, and, in March, issued a report detailing violations of the rights to due process and a fair trial throughout Saudi Arabia. While it is uncertain what motivated the release, the heightened attention to the flaws in Saudi Arabia's justice system seems to have increased pressure on the monarchy to improve respect for basic human rights in this case.