The rights he fought to get for others have been taken away from him, as he currently sits in a Saudi prison with a 10-year sentence and travel ban for “planting seeds of sedition,” “breaking allegiance with the ruler,” “defaming the judiciary” and “turning international organizations against the Kingdom,” according to the University.
A panel assembled in Wylie Hall of the IU campus Wednesday afternoon to discuss whether the United States can afford to intervene in the human rights struggle in Saudi Arabia.
IU Vice President Emeritus of International Affairs Patrick O’Meara moderated a panel consisting of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Karen Elliot House, former U.S. Congressman and Director of the Center on Congress Lee Hamilton and Eric Goldstein of Human Rights Watch.
O’Meara addressed the audience before the panel. As he reflected on what kind of man al-Qahtani is, he said he began to ponder questions concerning people who risk so much for human rights.
“I keep asking myself, why do people do it? Fame? Financial gain?” O’Meara said. “Absolutely not, they do it for some kind of deep ?conviction.”
As House opened up the discussion she began to describe a man she knows as a friend. She began to tear up when discussing his children and the reality that if he was to complete the 10-year sentence, his daughter would go the first decade of her life without seeing her father.
As she shifted the discussion to the early moments of their friendship, she noted how coming to America really changed al-Qahtani’s life.
“He managed to avoid pork in the U.S., but he picked up a desire for freedom,” House said. “He said he wanted his children to inherit and live in a different Saudi Arabia.”
Although al-Qahtani is Muslim, Goldstein reiterated his case is not about religion. It is about someone fighting for human rights, she said.
The panel was part of a mini-conference on human rights, all in al-Qahtani’s honor, according to the ?University.
The conference also included a lecture from House. It was sponsored by The School of Global and International Studies, the Center for the Study of the Middle East, the political science and economics departments, the Middle Eastern Law Student Association and anonymous donors.
Al-Qahtani’s lawyer, Abdulaziz Alhussan, acknowledged in a phone interview that his client’s ties to IU give him the belief that the University will support him in this hard time.
He also said U.S. citizens can support al-Qahtani by sending messages to the Saudi government, the Royal Court or the Ministry of the Interior. Organizations are also encouraged to release public statements concerning al-Qahtani and his release, Alhussan said.
Although his client is currently serving a 10-year sentence, Alhussan said he was cautiously optimistic concerning the duration of al-Qahtani’s time in prison.
“I think there is a good chance that he will be released before the sentence is completed,” Alhussan said. “But with the current situation of the political arena, we are not really sure.”
Hamilton said he believes America has the ability to intercede in this matter and he is looking for them to do so.
“I want to see the United States stand with the oppressed, and I want to see us stand against the oppressor,” Hamilton said. “I want to see us speak out and bring pressure where we can.”
