Cairo July 10, 2012
ANHRI condemns the Saudi authorities act of the blocking “alsaha al-arabia” website, for in-announced reasons yet. Although, the website administration tried to contact the Saudi authorities to know the reason of the blocking, but in vain.

The administrators of the website deiced to shut-down the website after the advertisers withdraw their advertisements, due to a phone call asked them to do that.
It is noted that the website, one of the oldest websites on the Internet. A group of Emirati youth established it, at the time of using the popular Internet, on 1997 to be the first Arabic discussion forum on the Internet. The forum addressed a lot of issue, it was known for discussing the intellectual and political subjects of its members. The website achieved un-precedent freedom of expression and intellectual as well as respecting the means of expressing it. The administrators of the website worked hardly to enrich the Arabic content on the Internet.

ANHRI said “the Saudi act of blocking the website and the influence on the advertisers to withdraw their money, deemed to be a new violation to be added to the black record of Saudi-Arabia of fighting the freedom of opinion and expression. Saudi-Arabia considers to be the a major country to hostile the Internet and electronic publishing. Its violation did not stop to the limits of following the activists and blocking the websites, but it passes a new laws to suppress the freedom of electronic publishing, through passing a new law of the Internet, during the beginning of this year. That law allows the authorities to interfere deeply in the work of the bloggers through asking for a precedent licenses to develop a website of a blog, which shall be re-newed every three years.”
ANHRI added that “it received the news with a deep sorrow, as the website was a podium of the intellectual and expression freedoms. In addition to, the valued Arabic content on the Internet. The block of the website considers to be a harsh hit to it, in a time that we desperately in need to enrich the Arabic content on the Internet”.