Malaysia deports Saudi over Twitter comments
Source: Agencies |
February 13, 2012, Monday
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MALAYSIA deported a Saudi Arabian blogger yesterday, police said, despite fears voiced by human rights groups that he could face execution in his home country over Twitter comments he made that were deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammad.
Hamza Kashgari, a 23-year-old columnist, sparked outrage in the oil-rich kingdom with comments posted on the Prophet's birthday a week ago that led some Islamic clerics to call for him to face the death penalty.
Kashgari fled the country, but was arrested by police in majority-Muslim Malaysia on Thursday as he transited through Kuala Lumpur international airport.
"The Saudi writer was repatriated to his home country this Sunday morning," a police spokesman told Reuters. "This is an internal Saudi matter that we cannot comment on."
Kashgari's lawyer in Malaysia, Mohammad Noor, said he had obtained a court order to prevent the deportation, but hadn't been allowed to see him.
"If the government of Malaysia deports him to Saudi Arabia, disrespecting the court order, this is clearly contempt of court, unlawful and unacceptable," he said.
Kashgari had said he was being made a "scapegoat for a larger conflict" over his comments.
Hamza Kashgari, a 23-year-old columnist, sparked outrage in the oil-rich kingdom with comments posted on the Prophet's birthday a week ago that led some Islamic clerics to call for him to face the death penalty.
Kashgari fled the country, but was arrested by police in majority-Muslim Malaysia on Thursday as he transited through Kuala Lumpur international airport.
"The Saudi writer was repatriated to his home country this Sunday morning," a police spokesman told Reuters. "This is an internal Saudi matter that we cannot comment on."
Kashgari's lawyer in Malaysia, Mohammad Noor, said he had obtained a court order to prevent the deportation, but hadn't been allowed to see him.
"If the government of Malaysia deports him to Saudi Arabia, disrespecting the court order, this is clearly contempt of court, unlawful and unacceptable," he said.
Kashgari had said he was being made a "scapegoat for a larger conflict" over his comments.
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