MESA’s Board of Directors announced the recipient of the association’s
fourth Academic Freedom Award during the 2004 Awards Ceremony held on Saturday,
November 21 in San Francisco, California. The 2004 MESA Academic Freedom Award was given
to:
Matrouk Al-Faleh
Professor
of Political Science at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
For his courageous advocacy of democratic
rights and civil liberties in Saudi Arabia and his principled commitment to
the exercise of free speech and the free exchange of information and ideas,
and in recognition of the resistance he and others have displayed in the
face of harassment and attempts at intimidation from the government of Saudi
Arabia.
Professor Al-Faleh was
arrested in his university office in March 2004, and has since that time not
been allowed to resume his academic duties. He is currently on trial in
Riyadh, charged with advocating changes in Saudi Arabia’s system of
government. In fact, Professor Al-Faleh has spoken out responsibly in favor
of political reform, and he has organized petitions that peacefully advocate
parliamentary elections and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy
in Saudi Arabia, and related reform measures.
Professor Al-Faleh is now
unable to teach. He is on trial, along with two others among those arrested
in March, because they refused to agree to a government demand that they
cease exercising their right to peacefully criticize their government and to
exercise their freedom of speech.
MESA salutes Professor Al-Faleh for his courageous and principled stance. He
and his colleagues have made a brave stand in favor of freedom of speech and
academic freedom, and they deserve our support and our admiration.
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