Update: Maryam reports that it’s not reliable.
there have been some reports that 23 year old Hamza Kashgariwho faces execution in Saudi Arabia for his Tweets about Mohammad is now out of danger and is to be released imminently or that he is only being held ‘for his own safety’. But these reports are not true.
I just got two messages from a family member and a friend. One message said:
That’s not true, nothing has been confirmed so far, everything still foggy and in a gray area. We hear from him from one time to time informing us that he’s ok and that’s it.
So everything below is wrong or at least unconfirmed.
Via the Free Hamza Kashgari Facebook page. I can’t be sure how reliable it is, but for what it’s worth (and given the non-existence of any other sources): one of the admins of the page reported yesterday, just about 24 hours ago, that he had news via people close to Kashgari.
The sharia court accepted his explanation and his life is no longer in any danger. But they can not release him at the current time due to the great danger he is facing from the general public. His mother is allowed to visit him and under the circumstances Hamza is doing well. It is impossible at this time to predict how long they have to keep him there – he is now locked up for his own safety, not because he said what he said.
This is from a source close to Hamza and his family.
Good that his life is not in danger from the authorities, but horrendous that his life is in danger from maniacs in his country and that he has to stay in prison to be safe from them. Horrendous and infuriating that the Saudis didn’t just let him leave the country, but had to drag him back so that he would be in danger from maniacs.
Since the Saudis made so much effort to drag him back from Malaysia, they should feel obligated to return him to Kuala Lumpur. But I doubt they’d see it that way.
If this news is true, that is really good news for Hamza K. Hopefully the authorities will let him leave the country.
There is a saudi princess on the BBC today, who says that it is literally dangerous to women to have the driving ban lifted. The general public is apparently not ready for it and will lynch or tear apart the women who had the temerity to drive. Nice people.
It could be bad news in a way, too. If he is allowed to leave the country any application for asylum might be hampered by the fact that the Saudi authorities are not threatening his life and even provided protective custody.
Hi
I am one of the admins in the forementioned facebook group, and can inform that this is as confirmed a news that is possible to get hold of. This is from very reliable sourses. Of understandable reasons I can not mention names of the sourses due potential danger for them. We have to remember KSA is a country with a strict religuos govournment.
Hi Geir, thanks. Tell Maryam what you know, if you can.