Saudi Royal Says He Was Abducted Over Criticism
Jan. 22 — LONDON (Reuters) - An outspoken Saudi prince said on Thursday he was under house arrest in Riyadh after Saudi agents drugged and abducted him from Switzerland because of his criticism of corruption and calls for democracy in the kingdom.
Prince Sultan bin Turki bin Abdel-Aziz, a nephew of King Fahd, told Reuters by telephone he was drugged during a meeting in Geneva last June with two government ministers, then found himself in a Riyadh hospital after 10 days in coma.
Saudi government officials declined to comment. Saudi analysts say Prince Sultan's public campaign to curb the powers of the royal family has been a source of deep embarrassment to the kingdom's rulers.
"I was between hospital and my house for the last six months. Now I'm at home, but they (police) are outside," the prince, who has often attacked corruption in Saudi Arabia on Arab satellite channels, said by telephone.
Details of the incident have been posted on the Web Site of a London-based Saudi dissident group, the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (www.yaislah.org).
He said police guards had a month ago allowed him use of a telephone but warned him "not to do anything that would upset them." Prince Sultan said he had had no contact with any government officials about his position since his return.
"I can go to my mother's house or to the mosque, but that's it. I can't leave Riyadh or the country," he said.
"I was outside the kingdom for over a year, between Germany and Switzerland, talking about politics. I'm not against the regime -- I'm part of it, as a nephew of King Fahd -- but I'm against corruption and I want a democratic country," he said.
Prince Sultan said he was snatched out of Switzerland after the Minister of Islamic Affairs Saleh al-Sheikh and Minister of State Abdel-Aziz bin Fahd, son of the king, called him to a meeting at a royal residence in Geneva.
"One left to the bathroom and the other answered the phone, while five men came in and drugged me," he said, accusing the Swiss authorities of complicity in the incident.
International and domestic criticism of the Islamic kingdom, dominated by the royal family, has increased since the September 11, 2001, attacks focused attention on religious extremism. Most of the attackers were Saudi men.
The world's biggest oil exporter, facing a wave of militant violence and growing economic challenges, has embarked on a program of cautious reform despite fierce opposition from some powerful religious figures.