Video plea to Obama to pardon Saudi launched

By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: A number of Saudi youths launched a film on Tuesday appealing to US President Barack Obama to use his constitutional power of presidential pardon to set free a Saudi man jailed for sexual assault.

Humaidan Al-Turki is currently serving 28 years in a US prison.

The five-minute film is supported by top Saudi religious, media and sports figures and is the culmination of a campaign supporting Al-Turki on Twitter and Facebook, which has attracted more than 11,000 followers.

They also set up a special website calling on Obama to release Al-Turki.

Renowned Saudi Islamic scholar Sulaiman Al-Oudah introduces the film by appealing to the US president.

He is followed by Saudi Shiite scholar Hassan Al-Saffar, who says releasing Al-Turki would have a positive impact on Saudi people. Shoura Council member Najeeb Al-Zamil said the history of America is based on tolerance, love, justice and forgiveness and called for the release of the prisoner based on these noble values.

The film also contains a presentation based on a report written by Abdullah Al-Almi on the history of presidential pardons in the United States.

Saudi journalist and media personality Turki Al-Dakheel appears in the presentation, reading passages from the last message sent by Al-Turki to his mother, in which he asks her to pray for his release.

“I do not know my father except from pictures, but I cannot imagine the rest of my life without him,” says 12-year-old Ruba, Al-Turki’s youngest daughter, in the film.

She appealed to Obama to pardon her father and said she hoped he would soon be with her again.

The film was the idea of university students Asim Al-Ghamdi and Al-Muhanad Al-Kadam. They said they wanted to influence US public opinion and reach Obama with the hope that he would use his powers to pardon Al-Turki.

They said they received resounding support from various sectors of Saudi society for their not-for-profit project. The film is made in Arabic with English subtitles.

Al-Turki, 36, was sent to America for his higher degree by the department of English at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh. He had already obtained his master’s degree with an excellent rating in phonetics from University of Colorado at Denver.

He was first arrested with his wife in 2004 on charges of violating residence regulations.

Al-Turki was again detained in 2005 for sexually assaulting his Indonesian maid. In April 2010, the Supreme Court refused a petition from his lawyers, which meant that only the US President himself could revoke the sentence.

Comments

ABDULLA

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I saw the video this morning, it is well produced and speaks directly to the hearts and minds of the American public. I hope it will have a positive effect and results in releasing Mr. AlTurki.

SHERRY

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The Turki guy forgot he's in not in saudi where he can get away by sexually abusing his house maids..serves him right! He should not be released and should be made an example for all those who thinks their maids to be their private property!
And I'm surprised at the religious scholars, how could they even talk about releasing him? He was a married man who sexually assaulted another woman! Shouldn't he be as per sharia law stoned to death! 28 yrs is less!or he's a saudi n sharia is different for him!

FAHMEED MOHIUDDIN

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I have all the sympathy for the 12 year old requesting the release of her father and may Allah grant her duas. Did you ever think of freeing the prisoners in the Saudi jails that have been jailed with out a trial for years without any hope? How about their children crying for their fathers?

ANDREW IN NY

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So its ok for Saudi's in America to abuse there maids, but now it is not ok for them to do it in Saudi Arabia? On what grounds do they want his release? Is he innocent?

SHABAB

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He should get what he did.. How society asking for forgiveness and Islamic scholars are doing campaign. 11000 people on face book and twitter.

No comment on what he did ... forgivness should be from Wife and that maid.
Remember that is not Kingdom of America. No one above the law .
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