Saudi security confiscate books by prominent reformer at Riyadh book fair

Saudi security confiscate books by reformer

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi security forces confiscated books of a well-known reformer and critic of the royal family from stalls at the kingdom’s annual international book fair, a Saudi civil rights group said Saturday.

The Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association said in a statement that Saudi security officers stormed a book stall at the Riyadh International Book Fair on Thursday and confiscated all of the works by Abdellah Al-Hamid.

The group said Al-Hamid’s books cover a wide range of topics on civil society and political reform. The author is a well known critic of Saudi’s royal rulers, and spent many years in prison for demanding political reform.

Abdel-Rahman al-Hazaa, spokesman for the Culture Minister, which organized the fair, said he was not aware of any books being confiscated at the fair, and declined to address the specific case.

He said books have been confiscated in the past for violating publishing rules, including offending Islam, the state or social mores.

The two-week Riyadh book fair opened Tuesday, with over 250,000 titles on display, al-Hazaa said.

In recent years, the Saudi ruler, King Abdullah, has taken small steps to allow for more openness in the conservative kingdom, including allowing women and men to mix at the fair, where segregation of the sexes is the norm.

Local activists have become more vocal about social and civil rights, but political criticism of the royal family remains a particularly sensitive issue.