TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Saudi Arabia has recently imposed a series of new laws which define atheists as terrorists, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.
As quoted by the Independent on Tuesday, HRW said these laws added to a string of royal decrees to fight against terrorists aiming to overthrow the monarchy.
The first article of the new provisions defines terrorism as "calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based".
The new laws have been issued to combat the growing number of Saudis taking part in the civil war in Syria, who then return with new training and ideas to topple the monarchy.
In order to stop them, King Abdullah issued Royal Decree 44, which criminalizes "participating in hostilities outside the kingdom" with prison sentences of between three and 20 years.
Last month, the Saudi Interior Ministry issued regulations that identify a list of groups which the government considers as terrorist organizations, including the Muslim Brotherhood.
Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch, said Saudi authorities will never tolerate criticism of their policies. These recent laws equate critical and independent criticism with acts of terrorism. "These regulations dash any hope that King Abdullah intends to open a space for peaceful dissent or independent groups," said Joe Stork.
HRW opined these laws also cause more difficulties for campaigns for the protection and release of a number of human rights activists currently jailed in Saudi Arabia.
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