Oh-Oh! Attorney General Eric Holder Wants To Apply Saudi Justice in the US!

The Saudi Gazette reports that US shows interest in Saudi counter-terrorism program -- but the discussion, led by US Attorney General Eric Holder, turned to the justice system in Saudi Arabi in general.

And that is when Holder started getting scary:

“During this visit to Riyadh, I have had discussions with our Saudi partners about our joint programs to promote the rule of law and protect the rights and interests of our citizens,” he said.


Holder also expressed his enthusiasm for building programs supporting the Kingdom’s enactment of legal reforms and the continued dialogue between the two nations on the subjects of judicial and legal progress.

“I’ve also been impressed by the Justice Minister’s efforts with regard to the justice system here in this great nation. We have exchanged ideas and thoughts,” he continued, “and my hopes would be that some of the things we’ve tried in the United States may be useful here in Saudi Arabia and some of the ideas that the Justice Minister shared with me, I think, will be productive in the United States as well.” [emphasis added]

This Ongoing War blog found this as outrageous a statement as I did and in Know the Neighbours: Saudi Arabia, gives a list of numerous examples illustrating just what kind of justice system Holder is praising. Here is just one, after giving examples of human rights activists in Saudi Arabia who were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment:

• Still, the prisoners can be grateful that their punishment is merely ten years of prison ("at least"). How much worse might it have been? According to Wikipedia, the Saudis impose the death penalty on those found guilty of the following (in alphabetical order):
  
  
  • adultery (but unmarried adulterers only get 100 lashes)
  • apostasy
  • armed robbery
  • blasphemy
  • carjacking
  • drug smuggling
  • fornication
  • home invasion
  • homosexuality
  • idolatry
  • murder
  • prostitution
  • rape
  • sedition
  • sexual misconduct
  • sorcery
  • terrorism
  • theft (on the fourth conviction)
  • treason
  • waging war on god
  • witchcraft.

Read the whole thing.

So when Eric Holder tells his Saudi hosts that:

some of the ideas that the Justice Minister shared with me, I think, will be productive in the United States as well.

Do we have reason to be afraid?

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