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| Arabia |
| Saudis Reject Canadian Call for Torture Probe |
| 2003-09-23 |
| Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it had rejected Ottawa’s demand for an investigation into the case of a Canadian man who alleged he was regularly tortured during the 2-1/2 years he spent in a Riyadh jail. William Sampson — who was sentenced to death on a charge of involvement in a fatal bombing — said he was punched, kicked, hung upside down and beaten until he made a confession. He was released last month after receiving a royal pardon. He was one of the so-called "alk runners". Saudi Ambassador Mohammed al-Husseini said in a statement that he had delivered a diplomatic note to Canada’s Foreign Ministry on Monday dismissing the call for a probe. "The request to conduct an open investigation into Mr. Sampson’s allegations of torture goes against all laws and regulations, both within the kingdom and internationally," Al-Husseini said. "It’s against the law to investigate Saudis, it’s in the book." He said Riyadh’s desire for good ties with Ottawa was behind the pardon granted to Sampson, who he described as being guilty of "killing another human being who had the full right to live safe and secure with his family". Still trying to pin a bombing on him, cuz everyone knows there are no terrorists in Saudi. Er, at least when this attack happened. The uncompromising rejection will pose more problems for Foreign Minister Bill Graham, who has come under heavy pressure from opposition politicians to take a tough line with Riyadh. Some legislators want the Saudi ambassador to be expelled. Graham says he believes Sampson’s statements that he was tortured. You didn’t believe him while he was being tortured. I think Mr. Graham needs to be expelled from his job. Riyadh denies he was mistreated. No one at the Foreign Ministry was immediately available for comment on the ambassador’s statement. I’ll bet they weren’t. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #5 Perhaps PM Chretien forgot to say 'please'. |
| Posted by: A Jackson 2003-9-23 9:06:32 PM |
| #4 Compare and contrast: Treatment of Westerners (mainly) encarcerated in Saudi jails due to the profligate 'Alk running' in the Kingdom. Treatment of anyone in Gitmo. 'nuff said? Witness the complete humiliation of Canada here - the Sods (love it - in Blighty, a Sod is a derogatory term) say that to investigate a Saudi on any terms an Infidel might find acceptable is not acceptable. Perhaps the Canadian govt will start to see who their real friends are? |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2003-9-23 6:05:26 PM |
| #3 Maybe when they expel the Saudi ambassador they can clean out the Islamists rats' nests they're harboring in Montreal and Toronto at the same time! |
| Posted by: Not Mike Moore 2003-9-23 5:44:55 PM |
| #2 Seems that pacifist stand during the Iraq war didn't help Canadian citizens find favor in Saudi Arabia or Iran. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-9-23 3:18:46 PM |
| #1 The candiens can have no beef with the Saudis. The house of Saud uses only the highest quality torturers. Not like the amatuers in Iran. Pikers. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-23 2:24:23 PM |