The i is still going after Jordan and the Saudis, I assume these articles are in tomorrow's paper (the Weekend edition) ‘It’s bullshit’: LGBTQ Saudis blast Henderson and the World Cup bid he supports
They fled for their lives to escape Saudi persecution. Now LGBTQ Saudis accuse Henderson of a having a 'white saviour complex'The idea that the England midfielder could change anything in this absolute monarchy which criminalises homosexuality with punishments including imprisonment, lashings, and the death penalty was “total bullshit”, said one gay Saudi. He forms one of three LGBTQ people from the Gulf state who are today revealing their stories of persecution and abuse to raise the alarm about the dangerous situation facing their community.
‘I was going to lose my life’: LGBTQ Saudis reveal the truth about the regime
“Your name is on the system. You’re going to be arrested soon.” These were the words that changed Alvin’s life. He knew what they meant: he would be captured, imprisoned, and possibly executed. He was 19 at the time. “I was going to lose my life,” he says now.
This is the reality for LGBTQ people in Saudi Arabia under sharia law – a death sentence, a prison sentence, or a life of secrecy and terror. But the details of how the regime hunts down this community can now be revealed: the secret network of officials and religious police who spy on them, the cyber surveillance through government apps and dating apps, the third-party agents who lure them back from abroad, and the doctors who collaborate with the authorities.
I am the sister of a Saudi political prisoner – this is what I want Newcastle fans to know
“The fact there’s no transparency in this decision is scary. It shows how much more influence Saudi Arabia has with buying Newcastle. I’ve seen politicians in Newcastle being so hesitant to meet me, because they might get political backlash.”
Hathloul is concerned that these fans may not realise how damaging their actions may be. She has a stark warning as to where it could all lead.
“Today Newcastle fans are still able to enter the stadium whoever they are,” she says. “If we are going in that direction of accepting to be silent towards Saudi, tomorrow maybe Saudi will be buying the stadium itself and forbidding some Newcastle fans from entering because of social media posts. It can get that bad where people will have their freedoms removed if we are silent with Saudi now.”[/size]
The prospect sounds far-fetched – until you consider, for a moment, what happened to Hathloul’s sister. Part of the reason Loujain was imprisoned sounds equally as outlandish as a football club owner restricting who can attend matches based on social media posts: being female and driving a car.
After being kidnapped from the UAE in 2018, over several years Loujain was detained and tortured – including, it is claimed, being beaten, waterboarded and given electric shocks – for supporting women’s right to drive and the abolition of the male guardianship system.
