VZCZCXRO8133
OO RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR
DE RUEHRH #0928 1961551
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151551Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1198
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHDH/AMCONSUL DHAHRAN IMMEDIATE 0143
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH IMMEDIATE 0234

UNCLAS RIYADH 000928 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARP, DRL/NESCA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PTER SA
SUBJECT: MOJ OFFERS MORE DETAILS ON SAUDI TERROR TRIALS 
 
REF: RIYADH 921 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1. (U)  In a July 13 press conference, a Saudi Justice 
Ministry spokesperson confirmed that additional terror trials 
were underway, without specifying numbers.  Of the recent 330 
verdicts, 323 were found guilty, while 7 were acquitted; 289 
of the defendants were Saudi.  The spokesperson also 
disclosed that 42 of the defendants judged "hard core" would 
be held beyond their terms unless they repented before a 
judge.  End Summary. 
 
 
ADDITIONAL DETAILS ABOUT TERROR CONVICTIONS 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U)  The Ministry of Justice gave a second press 
conference on July 13 offering additional details on the 
recent terror trial convictions (Ref A).  The Ministry's 
spokesperson, Dr. Abdullah bin Hamad al-Saadan, confirmed 
that additional terror trials were still underway and that 
all rulings were preliminary and subject to appeal within 30 
days.  Of the 330 terror suspects tried, seven were acquitted 
while 323 were convicted.  Al-Saadan also said 289 of the 
defendants were Saudi and 41 were non-Saudi, though he did 
not specify the nationalities of the non-Saudis. 
 
 
SENTENCING DETAILS 
------------------ 
 
¶3. (U)  Prison sentences ranged from a few months to 30 years 
with 13 of the convicted sentenced to more than 20 years. 
However, al-Saadan noted that 42 of the most "hard core" 
Al-Qaeda militants sentenced to prison would not be released 
unless they repent their crimes before a judge following the 
end of their prison term.  Fifteen of those convicted will 
pay financial fines in addition to their prison sentence 
while another 15 will be subjected to a travel ban, remaining 
in a Saudi city of their choice, upon completion of their 
prison sentence.  Al-Saadan denied any knowledge of women 
being among those convicted, and chose not to disclose 
whether religious leaders and intellectuals were among those 
convicted, citing the "time constraints" of the press 
conference. 
 
 
DUE PROCESS QUESTIONS 
--------------------- 
 
¶4. (U)  In response to concerns expressed by Saudi and 
international human rights activists, al-Saadan sought to 
assure the public that the trials were fair and just by 
giving an overview of the legal procedures implemented during 
the trials.  He noted that some of the accused sought and 
were given legal assistance while others opted to defend 
themselves.  Additionally, he pointed out that 179 of the 
defendants were content with the rulings issued against them 
(Note: President of the quasi non-governmental organization, 
National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), Mufleh al-Qahtani 
stated that NSHR received complaints from 400 Saudis charged 
in terrorism-related cases.  End Note). 
 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  The Ministry still has not released information 
identifying individual defendants or linking them to specific 
incidents.  The requirement that the 42 "hard core" 
defendants "repent" means that they could potentially serve 
life sentences, and also demonstrates the plasticity of the 
Saudi judicial system.  Al-Saadan's statement that 179 
defendants are "content" with the verdicts against them seems 
intended to reinforce the credibility of the judicial process 
in the eyes of the public, but also represents an expression 
of the government's policy of portraying most extremists as 
misguided deviants rather than criminals. 
ERDMAN