The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia just now (noon EST, just an hour ago) gave an official response to international criticism of its sentence of death by beheading followed by crucifixion for a young protester, Ali Mohammed al-Nimr.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a response for Amnesty International, Reprieve, Jeremy Corbyn, David Cameron, Margaret Ferrier. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia delivered a response to the millions of petition creators and signers around the world, the tens of thousands who have marched against beheading a child for being at a protest. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has something it wants the activists working within Anonymous to know. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia gave a reply to the cries of anguish from a father and mother.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wants us to know that it is angry about the criticism, does not like it even one bit, and would like us all to mind our own business. In more diplomatic language, it released an anonymous but official statement on Twitter that said in part: “#SaudiArabia rejects any form of interference in its internal affairs. #AliAlNimr” That closing hashtag is sickening. That closing hashtag says more than the preceding sentence does. Below the fold is the full Tweet:

Press Statement: #SaudiArabia rejects any form of interference in its internal affairs. #AliAlNimr pic.twitter.com/AYBBAlI0Hw

— Saudi Embassy UK (@SaudiEmbassyUK) October 7, 2015

 
The statement came from the Saudi Embassy in London, no doubt because British politicians have led whatever charge the international community of politicians who actually hold office has mustered. Prime Minister Cameron is coming under fire today, and rightly so, for an execrable performance in an interview with television journalist Jon Snow, in which he managed to not say Ali’s name repeatedly:

Jon Snow: You have been asked to intercede with the Saudis over the 17-year-old boy who was arrested when he was 14 and who faces execution and crucifixion. Have you?
 
David Cameron: We have raised this as a government.
 
JS: Have you personally?
 
DC: No, the Foreign Secretary has raised this. Our embassy has raised this. We have raised this in the proper way. I’ll look to see if there is an opportunity for me to raise this as well. But we oppose the death penalty anywhere and everywhere and we make that clear in all our international contacts.

The statement from the Saudi Embassy is ominous and there is no hiding from that fact. It does not mean that work stops; please visit Reprieve’s website: Saudi Arabia–stop the crucifixion of Ali al-Nimr and sign Avaaz’ petition: Saudi Arabia: Save Ali from Beheading and Crucifixion.

Two people on Twitter replied directly to the Saudi Tweet:

@SaudiEmbassyUK lol you guys are worse than fictional bond villians. What a farce

— misterfister69 (@kodaxx7) October 7, 2015

@SaudiEmbassyUK You just told the world you are the ISIS of the world and they can go and F themselves! When will the world wake up?

— Farhad A (@faab64) October 7, 2015

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