DÉCAPITATION et DÉCOLLATION ÉPÉE, SABRE
ALI AL-NIMR REVEALS THE BARBARITY OF SAUDI ARABIA
AND THE HYPOCRISY OF THE US STATE DEPARTMENT
Mark Toner, a State Department
spokesman, was asked about
Ali al-Nimr, and about the crucial role
Saudi Arabia is
meant to play in the advancement of human rights. A transcript of the
relevant exchange (
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2015/09/247169.htm#SAUDIARABIA,
accessed September 26, 2015) is posted below. I don’t know Toner, but I feel
pity – and shame as well as revulsion – for any U.S. government official who
believes that he is forced by the nature of his job to cover up for Saudi
Arabia:
QUESTION: Yesterday,
Saudi Arabia was named to head the Human Rights Council, and today I think they
announced they are about to behead a 21-year-old Shia activist named Muhammed
al-Nimr. Are you aware of that?
MR. TONER: I’m not aware of the trial that
you—or the verdict—death sentence.
QUESTION: Well,
apparently, he was arrested when [he] was 17 years old and kept in juvenile
detention, then moved on. And now, he’s been scheduled to be executed.
MR. TONER: Right. I mean, we’ve talked about
our concerns about some of the capital punishment cases in Saudi Arabia in our Human Rights
Report, but I don’t have any more to add to it.
QUESTION: So
you—
QUESTION: Well,
how about a reaction to them heading the council?
MR. TONER: Again, I don’t have any comment,
don’t have any reaction to it. I mean, frankly, it’s—we would welcome it. We’re
close allies. If we—
QUESTION: Do
you think that they’re an appropriate choice given—I mean, how many pages
is—does Saudi Arabia
get in the Human Rights Report annually?
MR. TONER: I can’t give that off the top of
my head, Matt.
QUESTION: I
can’t either, but let’s just say that there’s a lot to write about Saudi Arabia
and human rights in that report. I’m just wondering if you [think] that it’s
appropriate for them to have a leadership position.
MR. TONER: We have a strong dialogue,
obviously a partnership with Saudi
Arabia that spans, obviously, many issues.
We talk about human-rights concerns with them. As to this leadership role, we
hope that it’s an occasion for them to look at human rights around the world
but also within their own border
# posted by Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU @ 6:32 AM