Saudi Crackdown Extended as Intellectuals Detained

  • At least eight were arrested, including writers, bloggers
  • Freedom of expression has shrunk even as kingdom opens up
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Saudi Arabia arrested at least eight intellectuals last week as it extended a crackdown on political dissent that’s sparked condemnation abroad.

Those detained included Fouad Al-Farhan, a prominent blogger; Abdulmajeed al-Buluwi, a writer and political analyst; and Wa’ad al-Muhaya, a self-taught philosophy enthusiast, two people familiar with the arrests said, asking not to be named.