Saudi lawyer charged with “tarnishing” image of state...

Saudi prosecutors have charged a lawyer with “tarnishing” the image of the kingdom and contempt of the judiciary in what the lawyer said on Wednesday was an attempt to keep him from pursuing his work on human rights cases.

If convicted, Waleed Abu al-Khair, who was barred in March from travelling abroad for security reasons, could face a fine or a prison sentence, he said, depending on the judge who has the right to determine the punishment under Saudi laws.

Rulings in Saudi Arabia are not based on precedent and, even with the same charge, they can differ from one judge to another.

“They want to show me that they can easily stop my human rights activities … but in the end I am going to face this court case and I believe that I am not guilty and have not done anything that requires punishment so I will defend myself,” Abu al-Khair told Reuters. Full story...

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