JEDDAH, 8 February 2008 — Today would mark the 60th day of imprisonment for Saudi blogger Fouad Al-Farhan, a 32-year-old father of two who runs a web journal that discusses Saudi social and political issues. He has been in Jeddah’s Dahban Prison since he was arrested from his office on Dec. 10.

A family member had been able to visit Al-Farhan once, on Jan. 5, and the family told Arab News yesterday that requests to visit him since have been denied.

“We know nothing about him since the brief visit last month,” said a family member on condition of anonymity.

Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, the spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, told Arab News yesterday that the ministry has no update on the case.

“Sometimes it’s not for the benefit of the investigation to reveal detailed information on cases,” he said.

Last month Al-Turki said Al-Farhan was being held for “interrogation for violating non-security regulations.”

Article 119 of the Saudi law of criminal procedure states that “the investigator shall order that the accused may not communicate with any other prisoner or detainee, and that he not be visited by anyone for a period not exceeding 60 days if the interest of the investigation so requires, without prejudice to the right of the accused to communicate with his representative or attorney.”

According to Al-Turki the prisoner’s solitary confinement and prohibition on visitation can be extended “each time it’s required until (the investigation) reaches the last stage, which is the judiciary.”

Al-Farhan’s family says that they do not know if Al-Farhan had asked for legal advice and was denied the request by prison authorities. Article 4 of the criminal procedure law states: “Any accused person shall have the right to a lawyer or (other) representative to defend him during the investigation and trial stages.”

Hussein Al-Sharif, head of the Western Region office of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), told Arab News earlier legally the General Investigation and Prosecution Board (the Saudi equivalent of an attorney general’s office) is allowed to detain people for up to six months, but that during this time the detainee is supposed to have access to a legal advocate.

“In these six months the detainee must be aware of the charges brought against him, allow him his right to an attorney, not be abused, and, most important, the right of a fair and just trial,” said Al-Sharif.

On Jan. 5, Al-Farhan’s father-in-law met him for one hour during a prison visit. At the time, the family said Al-Farhan had not been mistreated, but was in solitary confinement and subjected to questioning for 15 minutes a day. He had not been informed of the charges against him.

The family submitted an official letter to the governmental Human Rights Commission (HRC) in December asking them to intervene in Al-Farhan’s case.

“Until now not even the commission has been able to reach him for any information,” said the family member. “We would really like to meet Fouad or even talk to him over the phone.”

HRC spokesperson Zuhari Al-Harithy said yesterday that the commission is on the case and has sent a query to the Interior Ministry, but has yet to get a response. The general secretary of the Saudi Society of Journalists, Abdullah Al-Jahlan, said yesterday that the organization has not intervened on Al-Farhan’s behalf because nobody has submitted a complaint to the society. Al-Jahlan also said that the society doesn’t consider an online web journal a “media outlet”.

“The issue of electronic publishing will be discussed in the next general assembly meeting of the society,” said Al-Jahlan.

Last month, Saudi Arabia introduced regulations aimed at combating electronic crimes and has stipulated fines and prison time for anyone who promotes radical ideologies online.

Al-Farhan is one of the few Saudi bloggers writing under his real name. He is known among his fellow bloggers as “the dean of Saudi bloggers.”