Episode 3 House of Saud: A Family at War


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Transcript


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This programme contains some scenes

which some viewers may find upsetting

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The House of Saud has unparalleled

wealth and influence.

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While the royal family

behaves extravagantly,

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travels abroad,

displays this wealth

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and sometimes behaves not according

to what they preach,

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we find that Saudi society

itself is controlled.

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Yet their grip on power is facing

its most serious challenge.

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You can see the perfect storm

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forming around Saudi Arabia

at this stage.

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A restless young population

is demanding change.

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You feel like you're not a human

and you have no right to even dream.

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No right to do anything.

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Now a new crown prince is promising

to transform the country.

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This leadership said - "To hell

with it, we're going to do it."

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A royal decree has been

issued in Saudi Arabia

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giving women the right to drive.

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APPLAUSE

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But staying in power also means

crushing opposition.

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It is trying to be

the ally of the West,

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suggesting that he is moderate,

whereas actually beheading

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people whose offence

was to attend a protest.

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For decades, this extraordinary

family have been the great

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survivors of the Middle East.

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Now their future rests on a young,

untested prince.

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I think it is crucial, I think

we should very much want him,

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want his country to succeed.

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If something happens to Saudi

Arabia, this would be catastrophic

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for the region and, frankly,

catastrophic for the world.

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DRUMMING AND SINGING

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Less than 100 years ago,

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the House of Saud ruled a relatively

obscure desert kingdom.

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But oil changed all of that.

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The Saudi royal family controlled

the revenue of the Kingdom that

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comes mainly from oil.

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They can spend it as they wish

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and nobody has the right to

challenge them.

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But their power doesn't simply

come from wealth.

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It comes from their role

within Islam.

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The King styles himself

as the custodian of Islam's two

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holiest sites - Medina and Mecca.

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And with that power comes huge

responsibility.

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It is important for them to be seen

as role models in religion

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in their country.

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The textbooks that the state

publishes

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and gives to Saudi citizens

teach that one of the greatest

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sins you could possibly

engage in is hypocrisy.

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Specifically one who

engages in un-Islamic acts

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while claiming to be a Muslim.

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And that's also why the royal family

is so sensitive

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when it comes to stories coming out

about members

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of the royal family that contradict

with the sort of public face

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that they are supposed

to be portraying at home.

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Few of those who work

for the House of Saud

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talk about their experiences.

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The majority of the Saudis

that I worked for were paranoid,

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not all of them,

but, yes, the majority of them.

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But it depends who it was

and where you were

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in different situations.

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And a lot of them were paranoid

because they did not want to be seen

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doing something they shouldn't do.

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Joao Ferreira is a former

bodyguard who has

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worked for several Saudi princes.

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They like to have girls for the day,

for the week, whatever it may be.

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They are extremely well-paid models.

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We'd get a description

of what the prince would like

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and this agency would ship girls

in from everywhere -

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even America -

if they fitted the description.

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In reality,

they are high-class prostitutes

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and they are getting paid

for a service.

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Money does buy love, of course,

because that girlfriend

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is madly in love with him for the

day or for the hour or for the week.

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Whether you say the word

prostitute or not,

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at the end of the day,

that is exactly what they are.

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I think Saudi princes are really

afraid of their secrets.

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It's a secret for them,

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or that their lifestyle

comes out in the public.

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Stephanie says her clients include

high-paying Saudi royals.

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The most amount that

I earnt in one day was 20,000.

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Then I also had some jewellery

from Bulgari and Rolex.

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Yeah, they are really good clients

and not only because of

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the money, because, of course,

they give, like, a lot of money,

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but the ones I met,

they were really respectful,

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they really treated me

as a princess.

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They always gave us the best,

you know, the best hotels,

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good hotel rooms.

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They didn't treat us as a number.

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They gave me like

an old-school phone

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so I had a Nokia or something

with my own SIM card.

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But it was more for them

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so that I couldn't take

pictures of the prince.

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Any time they are not

with the prince,

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then they are watched 24 hours,

basically, if need be.

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So you always know where they are

and they always have to report

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where they are going, who they are

going with, that is then reported

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to the prince and he will say - OK,

send somebody with her or not,

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depending on who it is

and how long they stay

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and how much they like them.

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Despite the secrecy that surrounds

the private lives of some Saudi

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princes, stories have circulated

about bad royal behaviour abroad.

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But very few cases

ever come to court.

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Some of those royal family members,

some of them,

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they live, themselves,

in a very narcissistic way.

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Pathological grandiosity.

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They believe they are above the law

all over the world.

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London has always been

a favourite playground

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for the Saudi royal family.

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Meet Prince Saud

Abdulaziz Bin Nasir al Saud,

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the great-grandson

of Saudi's first king.

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London gave the Prince

an opportunity

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to pursue a very

different lifestyle.

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I crawl up the back

and massage the back.

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Body to body, yeah, I'm excited,

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he's excited, he's underneath me,

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I'm kissing his ears,

massaging his head.

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You can tell he is horny as hell.

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Homosexual activity

is illegal in Saudi Arabia.

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But in the discreet surroundings

of a top London hotel,

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who could possibly find out?

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But this Saudi prince also had

extreme issues with his temper.

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In 2010,

CCTV from the hotel lift shows him

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attacking his manservant

Bandar Abdulaziz.

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Three weeks later,

Bandar was found dead

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in the prince's hotel room.

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The blood trails,

we could see the body had been moved

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and it had been dragged across

the floor of the room

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and been placed on the bed.

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The prince gave a story,

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saying that Bandar had been

attacked whilst out walking himself.

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He said he believed he died

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as a result of the injuries

from the robbery.

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Police were sceptical.

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A major alarm bell was the CCTV

in the hotel lift,

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where Bandar was lethally punched

around the head

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and struck about the body

by the prince.

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And the impression I got was that

this was something he was used to

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and he knew it was his place

to take a beating.

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That very quickly broke

the prince's story,

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we were able to get

really good evidence

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to prove that he was responsible.

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Next - the prince tried to

get off the hook by claiming

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he had diplomatic immunity.

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He had no diplomatic immunity,

that was pointed out

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and that claim went away

very quickly.

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At his trial at the Old Bailey,

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the prince denied any sexual

relationship with his manservant.

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His sexuality became

central to the prosecution case.

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His masseur was called

to give evidence.

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Gasps from all around

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and particularly from the Saudi

corner, you could...

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Because...

"What have I done here?"

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I just think, "Have I given

too much graphic detail?"

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But that's what you're there for,

right?

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Because the guy said, "Yeah,

I killed the guy, but I'm not gay."

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During the course

of the investigation,

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we examined the prince's

mobile phones,

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on the phone there were photographs

of Bandar naked in sexual positions.

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Again, that helped to prove

the nature of the relationship

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between himself and the prince.

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During the trial, the prince's

lawyer were anxious to prove

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that he was not in

a gay relationship.

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I take offence at that.

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Like being gay is the worst

thing in the world,

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far more than killing a guy.

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Hypocrisy.

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And a killer.

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The prince was convicted of murder

and sentenced to life imprisonment.

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Three years later,

under a prisoner transfer agreement,

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he was returned to Saudi Arabia

to serve out his sentence.

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It is unknown what has happened

to him since,

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but the transfer angers some.

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And it's just so wrong. It's

an insult to the guy who was killed,

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it's an insult to the justice here.

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It's an insult to people like me

who actually stood up there bravely

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to be counted

and give evidence against

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one of the world's most

powerful families.

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It's an insult.

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I think he has got away with it.

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The royal family and the

King himself are obsessed

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with the way they are seen

in the West.

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And more people are aware

that Saudi issues

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are being discussed

in the Western media,

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the more they believe that

their regime is vulnerable.

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That is why they warn their own

members, they say, "Be careful,

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"when you leave the country,

don't put us in trouble."

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It's a matter of not to embarrass

the King

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in front of the British or American

press or European press.

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HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

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SQUEAKY FART

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RUMBLING FART

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It does feel awesome

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to see millions of people

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reading my tweets

or watching my videos.

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HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

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It gives me more encouragement

to do more.

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HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

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Ghanem Aldosari is a Saudi blogger.

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From London, he runs one of the most

popular social media accounts -

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mocking the Saudi

royal family's bad behaviour.

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His videos have achieved

around 180 million hits

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and he has a huge following

in Saudi Arabia.

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In my videos, I cover

most of the bad behaviours.

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The parties, how they spend

their money, their gambling,

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the misuse of drugs.

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I'm very dangerous to them,

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otherwise they wouldn't

call me terrorist.

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I do think I'm a danger to them,

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because I talk to the public.

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And I start changing

the mind of the public.

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And they don't like it.

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The power of the House of Saud

relies upon maintaining

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its status as a family

that is fit to rule.

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But social media has given

Saudis more access

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than ever before to critical

information about their rulers.

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Saudi citizens have been in the dark

before, but at the moment,

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we have campaigns on Twitter,

for example, that track this kind

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of images of the princes

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of images of the princes

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when they are not supposed to be

behaving as they do,

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and people follow them and they are

aware of their excesses.

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It is building up consciousness

about those princes

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and what they can do.

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For decades, Saudi royals have

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enjoyed lives of extraordinary

privilege.

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They have been able to do so

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because of a unique social

contract which has

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provided their citizens

with well-paid jobs,

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free education and health care,

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almost no taxation and, of course,

cheap fuel.

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You know, if you're a Saudi citizen

today, since the founding

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of the modern Kingdom, we have had

continuity and stability.

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Now, people in the West

take that lightly sometimes,

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because they take it as a given.

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But your property, your family,

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the chance to get educated,

the chance to develop.

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Push come to shove, you know,

they have actually gotten the best

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deal of any citizen in the

Middle East over the past 100 years.

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But there is a new threat

to the House of Saud.

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A demographic time bomb.

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Around two thirds of the population

is under 30.

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And they are questioning

the conservative rule

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of the House of Saud.

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It is really hard,

you feel like you're not a human

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and you have no right to even dream.

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I'm not allowed to do anything,

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I'm not allowed to decide

anything for myself.

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I'm here just to get married and

have babies and just follow rules.

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Samah Damanhoori left the Kingdom

in 2014.

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She now lives in the United States.

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So imagine if you're

living your whole life like that.

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And whenever you dream,

whenever you have an opinion,

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you're not allowed even to

think like that.

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This is wrong.

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In 2017, a 24-year-old Saudi woman

called Dina Ali Lasloom

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was believed to be attempting to

escape an arranged marriage

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by flying to Australia.

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But during a stopover

at Manila airport,

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Philippines authorities

detained her.

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Fearing her family was coming

to force her back to Saudi Arabia,

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Dina was filmed pleading with

airport officials.

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Dina was put on a flight

back to Riyadh,

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but not before she sent her video

appeal to an activist.

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Then Moudi Aljohani brought world

attention to Dina's plight.

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Before Dina had even landed

in Saudi Arabia,

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#SaveDinaAli had gone viral.

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Can you tell us anything about

Dina's condition or whereabouts?

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The last thing we know is that

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she's been held

in the girls' detention,

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which is another name

of women's prison.

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Moudi campaigned for Dina,

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because she says her own family

wanted her to live

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under the control

of a male guardian

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who would decide many

aspects of her life.

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Moudi went to university in America.

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When she returned to

Saudi Arabia for a holiday,

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she says her family

tried to keep her there.

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When I went to visit my family,

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they said, "You are not going back.

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"Because you are being

too Americanised."

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That was the biggest

shock in my life.

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And I didn't believe it

in the beginning.

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And then it became real.

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I was a hostage.

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I was a prisoner in my own house.

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I call it slavery.

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Because there is no different than

slaves and the guardianship system.

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It's modern slavery.

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SALSA MUSIC PLAYS

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Moudi eventually escaped

and fled back to America.

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Anybody in my position who tests

the freedom for a little bit

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and go back to hell,

would do the same thing that I did.

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Some Saudis are not impressed.

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Fahad Nazer

is a political consultant

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to the Saudi Embassy

in Washington DC.

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He does not speak

on behalf of the Saudi government.

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If you listen closely

to the grievances,

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they almost begin and end with,

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unfortunate, I'm sure,

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but, you know, nonetheless problems

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that stem at their...you know,

family issues...

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problems stemming, you know,

in their households

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that they don't reflect.

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They have little bearing

on wider societal...

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or wider society. It's...

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Saudi Arabia's supporters claim

that many women

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back their strict Islamic system.

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WOMAN SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

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Samah is no longer a Muslim.

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She has also publicly

criticised Islam.

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I broke a lot of rules in terms

of culture and religion.

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So it's really,

really hard to go back home.

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They would lock me up

until I get married

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to the man that THEY approve,

not me.

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And I would be always

a slave for them.

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Samah is seeking asylum in America.

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From there, she campaigns

for the rights of women back home.

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If I do what I am doing right now

back home,

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they would just simply

put me in jail,

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they would do whatever

to shut me and put me down.

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Saudi Arabia's growing

young population also faces

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economic uncertainty.

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The economy is built around oil.

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But the fall in oil prices

may mean the party is over.

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The economy is not working,

the economy flat-lined in 2016

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and went into recession in 2017.

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One third of the reserves

that the Saudis had

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when King Salman ascended

to the throne had been spent.

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And you don't have to have a Masters

degree in business to figure out

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if you've spent one third in

three years, where you're ending up.

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Facing these challenges

is a new crown prince

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who has become the leading figure

in the House of Saud.

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APPLAUSE

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Just 32 years old,

Mohammad Bin Salman

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has promised to fundamentally

transform the Kingdom.

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At the heart of his project

called Vision 2030

0:22:170:22:21

is a promise to modernise

the Saudi Arabian economy.

0:22:210:22:24

This is a revolution that's going

on, this is not a transition.

0:22:260:22:30

And it's driven by the recognition

0:22:300:22:34

of a need for a revolution

in the economy.

0:22:340:22:38

They cannot continue

the way they have

0:22:380:22:40

with oil prices and gas prices

0:22:400:22:43

what they are

and generally predicted

0:22:430:22:45

to continue to be for some time.

0:22:450:22:47

Vision 2030 in the long term

and on the surface

0:22:470:22:50

is an economic diversification

strategy,

0:22:500:22:52

but it's underpinned

by social and cultural reform.

0:22:520:22:56

And it also placed woman on the map.

0:22:560:22:59

A royal decree has been issued

in Saudi Arabia

0:23:030:23:05

giving women the right to drive.

0:23:050:23:08

APPLAUSE

0:23:090:23:12

In 2017, Saudi Arabia became

the last country in the world

0:23:130:23:18

to allow women to drive.

0:23:180:23:20

It was an historic moment

for the Kingdom.

0:23:200:23:23

It is a very important reform,

0:23:250:23:28

because women who are working,

0:23:280:23:30

such as teachers, they need to go

to their schools on time.

0:23:300:23:35

They need to run their affairs.

0:23:350:23:37

They need to have freedom

of movement.

0:23:370:23:39

Social reform is under way.

0:23:390:23:43

CHEERING

0:23:390:23:43

For the first time in decades,

cinemas are opening.

0:23:430:23:47

Women have been allowed into

stadiums.

0:23:470:23:50

The feared religious police have

been barred from making arrests.

0:23:500:23:54

WOMAN SHRIEKS

0:23:540:23:57

SHRIEKING

0:23:590:24:01

And the male guardianship

system under which women need

0:24:030:24:07

a man's permission for many

activities is also changing.

0:24:070:24:11

The woman's guardianship issue has

always been a problem, but material

0:24:130:24:17

changes already happened

to the woman's guardianship.

0:24:170:24:20

For example, women now are allowed

to go to government departments

0:24:200:24:24

and get papers and execute official

documents without a guardian,

0:24:240:24:29

which is a huge step forward.

0:24:290:24:30

But it is only a start.

0:24:310:24:34

A mandatory dress code

remains in place.

0:24:340:24:37

And in some Sharia courts,

0:24:370:24:39

a woman's testimony

is worth only half a man's.

0:24:390:24:44

Women can't leave the country

without the permission

0:24:440:24:47

of their guardian and this is

still practised in Saudi Arabia.

0:24:470:24:50

There are certain professions

they cannot go into without

0:24:500:24:54

the permission of their guardian.

0:24:540:24:56

If a woman is employed

in the private sector and her job

0:24:560:24:59

requires her to travel outside Saudi

Arabia, she will not be able to go,

0:24:590:25:04

unless her guardian signs a form

to say that she can travel for work.

0:25:040:25:08

What we've seen so far

0:25:080:25:09

is some modest steps

in the right direction,

0:25:090:25:13

but the scriptures

that govern Saudi society,

0:25:130:25:18

especially gender relations,

0:25:180:25:20

involve thousands of decrees

from the clerical establishment.

0:25:200:25:25

One estimate is there's

up to 30,000 decrees issued

0:25:250:25:29

over the years by

the Wahhabi clerical establishment

0:25:290:25:33

that governs everything

about behaviour of women

0:25:330:25:37

and the interaction between women

and men in the Kingdom.

0:25:370:25:40

That's a formidable amount

of legislation

0:25:400:25:42

that has to be looked into

and reversed.

0:25:420:25:45

Social and economic liberalisation

may be crucial to maintaining

0:25:480:25:52

the House of Saud's rule,

0:25:520:25:54

but political freedoms are another

thing altogether.

0:25:540:25:58

SHOUTING

0:25:580:26:03

THEY PROTEST

0:26:030:26:06

The Arab Spring saw dictators

across the Middle East toppled.

0:26:060:26:11

SHOUTING ON MEGAPHONE

0:26:140:26:15

Protests erupted

in Saudi Arabia, too.

0:26:150:26:18

Social media exploded, becoming

a pivotal tool for activists.

0:26:200:26:24

CHANTING

0:26:240:26:26

GUNSHOTS

0:26:260:26:29

There was, I think,

a brief window of time

0:26:290:26:32

when the Saudi government was not in

control of what their citizens were

0:26:320:26:37

saying and able to say, and that was

with the emergence of social media.

0:26:370:26:40

That really brought about

a tremendous opening

0:26:450:26:47

in Saudi Arabia, the likes of which

we had not seen before.

0:26:470:26:51

SHOUTING

0:26:510:26:53

But the Saudi government

soon woke up to the threat.

0:26:530:26:57

RAPID GUNFIRE

0:26:570:27:00

After the Arab Spring,

0:27:000:27:02

the regime sees itself

as very vulnerable.

0:27:020:27:06

Any activity is seen by the regime

as dangerous,

0:27:060:27:10

whether it is somebody making

a tweet,

0:27:100:27:14

or a post on Facebook,

or a post on YouTube.

0:27:140:27:17

They try to chase them,

0:27:170:27:19

either by using the advanced

technology given to the regime

0:27:190:27:22

by the West, or by seducing them,

0:27:220:27:25

sending agents to speak to them.

0:27:250:27:29

So they use the social media itself

0:27:290:27:31

to arrest people,

to get rid of them.

0:27:310:27:33

In 2014, Bill Marczak was an analyst

0:28:210:28:25

for Canadian-based research team

Citizen Lab.

0:28:250:28:29

He uncovered a malicious bug

hidden in an app for a newspaper,

0:28:290:28:32

popular in the Shia

eastern province of Saudi Arabia.

0:28:320:28:35

We saw, for instance, on Twitter,

0:28:370:28:40

there were a few accounts

sending out tweets saying,

0:28:400:28:42

"Oh, check out the new version

of the Qatif Today app."

0:28:420:28:45

And if you had clicked on that

and installed that on your phone,

0:28:450:28:48

your phone would have been infected

0:28:480:28:49

and data would've been sent back

to the Saudi Ministry of Interior.

0:28:490:28:53

Bill traced the bug back to

a hi-tech company that develops

0:28:540:28:58

what it calls offensive security.

0:28:580:29:00

Italian company Hacking Team

has been criticised

0:29:130:29:15

for having supplied this kind

of mass surveillance technology

0:29:150:29:18

to Saudi Arabia.

0:29:180:29:20

Alberto Pelliccione is

one of the world's foremost hackers.

0:29:360:29:40

He worked for Hacking Team

0:29:400:29:42

when they used to run

this kind of operation.

0:29:420:29:45

When I understand which angle

I'm going to attack...

0:29:530:29:56

Saudi Arabia, in my estimate,

0:30:390:30:41

is probably one of

the more sophisticated governments

0:30:410:30:44

when it comes to surveillance

in the Middle East,

0:30:440:30:46

and the simple reason

is they've got a lot of money,

0:30:460:30:49

so this gives them access

to surveillance tools

0:30:490:30:51

that other governments

might not have access to.

0:30:510:30:54

You know, I'm sure that Saudi

is very interested in fighting

0:30:540:30:58

terrorism, but I'm sure also

that they're abusing the products

0:30:580:31:00

to spy on activists,

because, you know, what...

0:31:000:31:03

If you are the Saudi government,

who are the threats?

0:31:030:31:06

Well, the threats are anyone that's

kind of threatening your grip

0:31:060:31:08

on power and your...your...the

stability of your ruling family

0:31:080:31:12

and your government.

0:31:120:31:13

Social media had been

a mixed blessing in Saudi Arabia.

0:31:130:31:17

First, it allowed Saudis

to access the world

0:31:170:31:21

and make their voices heard.

0:31:210:31:23

However, there is an unfortunate

side to Saudi social media,

0:31:230:31:27

and that is a lot of people

got in trouble as a result

0:31:270:31:31

of circulating ideas,

even short sentences on Twitter.

0:31:310:31:36

Unlike countries

such as China and Turkey,

0:31:380:31:41

platforms like Twitter

have remained open.

0:31:410:31:45

But there is evidence

the Saudi government has begun to

0:31:450:31:47

manipulate social media

in ever more sophisticated ways.

0:31:470:31:52

The explosion

of the use of social media

0:31:520:31:55

does not mean

that the regime is silent,

0:31:550:31:58

it does not mean the regime

is allowing people

0:31:580:32:00

to use social media as they want.

0:32:000:32:02

It's believed they have

the capability to sabotage

0:32:040:32:06

online discussions about the Kingdom

using propaganda bots.

0:32:060:32:11

Bots, essentially, look like

real people, but it's software.

0:32:130:32:18

It's computer software

0:32:180:32:20

that uses social media

to look like a real person

0:32:200:32:22

and to spread propaganda.

0:32:220:32:24

Marc Owen Jones has studied

the accounts of Twitter users

0:32:240:32:28

in Saudi Arabia.

0:32:280:32:29

Half of that information

that you see will be propaganda.

0:32:320:32:36

And we're talking every day,

probably over 100,000 tweets.

0:32:360:32:40

It basically means half

of the internet Twitter population

0:32:400:32:43

of Saudi is computer software.

0:32:430:32:45

He says the bots are used for what

is called hashtag poisoning -

0:32:470:32:51

artificially inflating support

for the government position

0:32:510:32:55

in a huge, invisible wave

of propaganda.

0:32:550:32:59

Hashtag poisoning is basically

going onto a hashtag,

0:32:590:33:02

dominating it,

0:33:020:33:03

squeezing out any real, genuine,

critical information.

0:33:030:33:08

Again, it ties in with the idea

of making credible information,

0:33:080:33:12

real information, critical

information, difficult to find.

0:33:120:33:15

And you do it to such an extent

that it becomes almost...

0:33:150:33:19

Twitter becomes useless

as a tool of finding out

0:33:190:33:22

what's going on in real time

in certain parts of the world.

0:33:220:33:24

Criticism of the House of Saud

0:33:270:33:30

is also controlled through

sweeping anti-terror laws.

0:33:300:33:34

Now, in Saudi Arabia, you could be

classified as a terrorist

0:33:370:33:41

if you spread atheism,

0:33:410:33:44

if you attend

an international conference

0:33:440:33:45

that the State doesn't like,

0:33:450:33:47

if you speak to a rights group

or an international reporter

0:33:470:33:50

in a way that the State thinks

is undermining national unity.

0:33:500:33:53

One of the terms of the law

even said that if you harm

0:33:530:33:58

the reputation of the State, you

can be classified as a terrorist.

0:33:580:34:02

We would hope that the -

and we would expect -

0:34:020:34:04

that the relevant authorities

would be vigilant

0:34:040:34:07

in applying these laws

0:34:070:34:09

in such a manner

that they do not infringe

0:34:090:34:12

on the freedom of expression

0:34:120:34:14

of peaceful individuals

who are not resorting to incitement,

0:34:140:34:18

who are not resorting

to the encouragement of violence

0:34:180:34:21

or anything like that.

0:34:210:34:22

SHOUTING

0:34:220:34:26

The public has very limited

information about the evidence

0:34:260:34:31

that's presented, the nature

of the crime that is being alleged,

0:34:310:34:35

the way in which

a conviction is...is reached,

0:34:350:34:40

and in that kind of context,

0:34:400:34:42

it creates a kind of pervasive

feeling of repression,

0:34:420:34:47

so it takes a very brave person

in Saudi Arabia to speak out

0:34:470:34:51

about anything political,

0:34:510:34:53

certainly anything

that might shed a negative light

0:34:530:34:57

on...on the government.

0:34:570:34:59

There may have been individual

cases, there may have been

0:34:590:35:02

individual mistakes, but it is not

a common practice in Saudi Arabia.

0:35:020:35:06

We're not North Korea,

we're not, you know, the Gulags,

0:35:060:35:11

we're not anything like that.

0:35:110:35:14

We are a peaceful society

that is well integrated,

0:35:140:35:18

that is well...cohesive

0:35:180:35:20

and that has the right

to protect itself

0:35:200:35:24

and to protect its community

against the threat of terrorism.

0:35:240:35:27

In January 2016,

the Saudi Interior Ministry

0:35:520:35:56

announced it had executed 47 people

on a single day,

0:35:560:36:01

declared guilty of terror offences.

0:36:010:36:04

While some of the 47 were convicted

of Al-Qaeda-linked terror attacks,

0:36:080:36:12

others seem to be

simply political protesters.

0:36:120:36:15

King Salman wanted to show that he's

tough with any kind of dissidence.

0:36:170:36:22

The regime claims that

they are either terrorists or

0:36:220:36:25

sympathisers with terrorists,

0:36:250:36:27

but given that the judiciary

in Saudi Arabia is not independent,

0:36:270:36:31

it is very difficult

to verify these claims.

0:36:310:36:35

Among those executed

was Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr,

0:36:390:36:42

a leading cleric from

the country's Shia Muslim minority.

0:36:420:36:46

Saudi Arabia's Shias have long

complained of marginalisation

0:36:460:36:49

and oppression.

0:36:490:36:50

This was a very blunt

0:36:520:36:55

and strongly worded message

to the Shia community

0:36:550:36:57

that this is the consequence

of stirring up dissatisfaction,

0:36:570:37:01

expressing that in any way.

0:37:010:37:04

The consequence is arrest,

prosecution, execution.

0:37:040:37:08

Taha al-Haji

was one of the lawyers

0:37:150:37:18

who tried to stop the executions.

0:37:180:37:20

The government concocted a case

0:37:340:37:35

accusing him

of undermining national unity,

0:37:350:37:40

and harming the reputation

of the State.

0:37:400:37:42

SCOFFS:

All of which are terrorist

offences in Saudi Arabia now.

0:37:420:37:46

HE SPEAKS ARABIC

0:37:460:37:50

Convicted criminals were executed,

simple as that.

0:37:510:37:54

They went through

the full process of the law,

0:37:560:37:58

they went through

multiple appeal stages,

0:37:580:38:01

and they were convicted of crimes,

of terrorism and other crimes,

0:38:010:38:05

and they were executed

in accordance with the law.

0:38:050:38:09

But the image of mass executions

plastered across the world's media

0:38:180:38:22

caused widespread outrage.

0:38:220:38:24

Now the Americans wanted answers

about the executions of the 47 men.

0:38:270:38:31

The President took it up

with the King.

0:38:340:38:36

I have to give President Obama

a lot of credit, I mean,

0:38:360:38:38

he was very forthright in bringing

these issues to the forefront,

0:38:380:38:42

and the King was very direct

with the President, too, in saying,

0:38:420:38:45

you know, "We have our customs,

we have our judicial system,"

0:38:450:38:48

you know, "I have to...

0:38:480:38:50

"I may be the King of Saudi Arabia,

0:38:500:38:51

"but I have to respect

my judicial system."

0:38:510:38:53

I think our human rights record is

0:38:560:38:57

one of the best in the world,

0:38:570:38:59

both internally and in terms

of our own systems

0:38:590:39:03

and as far as international

agreements and covenants.

0:39:030:39:08

We uphold the charter, we uphold...

0:39:080:39:11

Above that, we uphold

our own Sharia law

0:39:110:39:14

which protects human rights

for all individuals

0:39:140:39:17

and which guarantees the dignity

0:39:170:39:21

and the responsibility also

towards society of all members

0:39:210:39:26

of the community.

So I have no doubt that we uphold

0:39:260:39:30

the highest standards

of human rights.

0:39:300:39:32

I think Saudi Arabia

finds self-analysis

0:39:340:39:39

and self-criticism

extremely difficult

0:39:390:39:42

and extremely painful.

0:39:420:39:43

I certainly would not characterise

Saudi Arabia as one

0:39:430:39:47

of the countries with the best

human rights record in the world.

0:39:470:39:50

I think the Saudi Arabia record

on improving human rights

0:39:500:39:55

is extremely disappointing.

0:39:550:39:57

I think that the United States

and other partners of Saudi Arabia -

0:39:580:40:03

the UK, others in Europe -

have, for a long time,

0:40:040:40:08

addressed with Saudi officials,

0:40:080:40:12

our deep and consistent concerns

0:40:120:40:15

regarding things like

their violation

0:40:150:40:18

of freedom of religion and belief,

0:40:180:40:20

their use of the death penalty

for crimes that do not rise to the

0:40:200:40:24

level of the utilisation

of the death penalty,

0:40:240:40:26

a full panoply of concerns.

0:40:260:40:29

And, unfortunately,

0:40:290:40:30

I don't think that they've made

much progress at all.

0:40:300:40:34

There are those in the West,

if I may say, who want to mould us

0:40:340:40:38

in their own mould, and we say,

"Thanks, but no, thanks."

0:40:380:40:41

We are not Sweden,

we are not Switzerland,

0:40:410:40:45

we are not Britain,

we are not Norway.

0:40:450:40:48

We are our own country,

0:40:490:40:50

and we do not want to be moulded

in the mould of any other country.

0:40:500:40:54

The Kingdom's treatment

of dissenters is criticised

0:40:580:41:02

not just by diplomats

and human rights experts,

0:41:020:41:05

but also from within

the royal family itself.

0:41:050:41:08

Prince Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud

can trace his family lineage

0:41:250:41:29

back to the original founders

of the Kingdom.

0:41:290:41:33

The Prince is openly critical

of how the Saudi Interior Ministry

0:41:330:41:37

has cracked down

on human rights activists.

0:41:370:41:40

Prince Khalid is speaking out

0:42:220:42:23

through a sense

of personal injustice

0:42:230:42:26

over what he claims is the illegal

seizure of land he inherited.

0:42:260:42:30

He feels the country

is deeply corrupt.

0:42:330:42:36

The social reforms introduced

0:43:160:43:18

by the new Crown Prince,

Mohammad bin Salman,

0:43:180:43:21

have led to hopes

that the human rights situation

0:43:210:43:24

in the Kingdom would improve,

0:43:240:43:26

but a new terror law

he has introduced

0:43:260:43:28

includes penalties of

up to ten years in jail

0:43:280:43:31

for insulting the King

and Crown Prince,

0:43:310:43:33

as well as the death penalty

for other acts of terrorism.

0:43:330:43:37

Yahya Assiri is

a Saudi human rights activist.

0:43:400:43:43

It has definitely had

a negative impact on activism,

0:44:070:44:10

when you see

all the leading figures,

0:44:100:44:12

and all human rights defenders

0:44:120:44:14

and the respected figures of

this movement being behind bars now.

0:44:140:44:17

If you dare to speak out

about the right,

0:44:200:44:22

dare to read

about the human rights demand

0:44:220:44:24

or express yourself

0:44:240:44:26

or your opinion or even contact

Amnesty International,

0:44:260:44:30

this can be considered

a terrorist crime.

0:44:300:44:32

The fate of Mujtaba Al-Sweikat

0:44:330:44:36

has been seen as a test case

for the new regime.

0:44:360:44:40

In 2012, he was arrested

for attending a demonstration,

0:44:400:44:44

when he was just 17 years old.

0:44:440:44:47

Mujtaba was

a very promising young student.

0:44:470:44:50

He had been awarded a place to study

at university in the US.

0:44:500:44:54

and was actually on his way

to the US

0:44:540:44:56

when he was arrested

from the airport,

0:44:560:44:58

brutally tortured by the police,

0:44:580:45:00

forced to sign a confession, and

0:45:000:45:03

then later sentenced to death for

attending a pro-democracy protest.

0:45:030:45:08

Mujtaba Al-Sweikat is one of 14

recently sentenced to death

0:45:080:45:12

for what human rights organisations

describe as protest-related crimes.

0:45:120:45:17

His charges include overseeing

a dissident Facebook page

0:45:170:45:20

and publishing photos of protests.

0:45:200:45:23

His case is typical of

the kind of death penalty cases

0:45:230:45:27

we are seeing

now increasingly in the Kingdom.

0:45:270:45:31

Those young students, like Mujtaba,

are brutally tortured

0:45:310:45:35

and sentenced to death for calling

for exactly the same things

0:45:350:45:39

that the Crown Prince is saying

he's in favour of.

0:45:390:45:43

The Saudi Ministry of Justice

maintains that all the trials

0:45:430:45:47

of the 14 Saudis sentenced to death

0:45:470:45:49

have met international standards

for fairness and due process.

0:45:490:45:53

They say the death sentences

are only handed down

0:45:530:45:56

for the most serious crimes.

0:45:560:45:58

Since the Crown Prince

came to power,

0:46:000:46:02

dozens of people have been detained

in what UN experts have called

0:46:020:46:06

a worrying clamp-down

on human rights.

0:46:060:46:09

What we've seen

since he took office is...

0:46:120:46:15

..certainly an increased use

of mass executions.

0:46:180:46:21

There were seven people

executed on the 28th of November,

0:46:210:46:24

among whom a number of those,

four of them,

0:46:240:46:26

were peaceful protesters.

0:46:260:46:28

We're also seeing an attempt

to disguise the repression

0:46:280:46:35

and abuses of fundamental

human rights by the Crown Prince,

0:46:350:46:40

disguise it in this guise

of countering terrorism.

0:46:400:46:44

He's trying to be

the ally of the West.

0:46:440:46:46

SHOUTING

0:46:460:46:51

Repression in Saudi Arabia has

never been at the level

0:46:520:46:55

of really repressive countries.

0:46:550:46:57

It is not a police state

in the sense Syria or Iraq was,

0:46:570:47:00

even Iran is, frankly.

0:47:000:47:02

So, it is not as repressive

as really repressive states are,

0:47:020:47:07

but obviously, it does not have

the political freedom

0:47:080:47:10

that the West does.

0:47:100:47:11

For political and economic reasons,

Western governments have long

0:47:170:47:20

tolerated the House of Saud's

record on human rights.

0:47:200:47:23

I have sat around

the Situation Room table

0:47:260:47:28

in the West Wing of the White House,

0:47:280:47:30

where we've grappled

with precisely these issues.

0:47:300:47:32

You know, isn't it time

that we finally told Country X,

0:47:320:47:35

"This is it"?

0:47:350:47:37

OK, well, then what?

0:47:370:47:38

Well, Country X then goes to Russia,

they go to China,

0:47:380:47:42

or they go somewhere else,

and then we've lost whatever

0:47:420:47:45

influence we had,

however inadequate it may be.

0:47:450:47:48

No country is ever perfect.

0:47:480:47:51

Saudi Arabia certainly has

its imperfections, its flaws,

0:47:510:47:54

but at the end of the day,

I would judge that they are a flawed

0:47:540:47:57

friend and that others in the region

are our adversaries and our enemies.

0:47:570:48:02

Few things have focused attention

0:48:070:48:09

on the West's support

for Saudi Arabia

0:48:090:48:11

like the brutal war in Yemen.

0:48:110:48:13

The Saudi coalition has been led

by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

0:48:170:48:20

The Saudis maintain

they are defending

0:48:250:48:27

the rightful government of Yemen

against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels

0:48:270:48:31

who had seized power.

0:48:310:48:33

But from the outset,

the Saudi-led coalition used

0:48:390:48:42

its air superiority

to bomb suspected rebels.

0:48:420:48:46

Reports emerged of civilians

being targeted.

0:48:460:48:50

The Saudi government and the rebels

have been accused of war crimes.

0:48:540:48:59

What we have documented in multiple

investigations in Yemen,

0:49:000:49:04

on the ground, is that this war

has been characterised

0:49:040:49:09

by a very widespread

and systematic pattern

0:49:090:49:12

of indiscriminate bombardment

of civilian areas,

0:49:120:49:16

in some cases deliberate bombardment

of civilian areas,

0:49:160:49:20

that has killed thousands

of civilians.

0:49:200:49:22

In 2015, in Geneva,

0:49:250:49:28

the head

of the UN Human Rights Council

0:49:280:49:30

called for an independent

international investigation

0:49:300:49:34

into war crimes committed

by both sides.

0:49:340:49:37

But there was a problem.

0:49:440:49:45

Saudi Arabia is one

of the 47 countries

0:49:450:49:48

on the United Nations'

Human Rights Council.

0:49:480:49:51

Saudi Arabia's effort

to seek leadership

0:49:550:49:57

in the UN Human Rights Council

0:49:570:49:59

came basically at the same time

that Saudi Arabia

0:49:590:50:02

was putting out an ad to hire

more executioners, by sort,

0:50:020:50:06

for beheading its citizens,

0:50:060:50:07

or ex-pats, who are sentenced

to die.

0:50:070:50:09

I mean, this is a real contradiction

here in terms of,

0:50:090:50:15

on the one hand, Saudi Arabia's

international legitimacy

0:50:150:50:19

and acceptance by, you know,

0:50:190:50:23

some of the most prominent leaders

in the UN system

0:50:230:50:26

while at the same time chopping

people's heads off for doing things

0:50:260:50:30

that we don't even define as crimes

here, in the West.

0:50:300:50:32

In terms of why the Saudis want

to be on the Human Rights Council,

0:50:320:50:36

I think it's very simple -

0:50:360:50:37

they want to block any efforts

to shine the light on themselves

0:50:370:50:40

and some of their other allies

0:50:400:50:42

who have horrific

human rights records.

0:50:420:50:45

Clear and simple.

It's not for good reasons.

0:50:450:50:48

Keith Harper was the US ambassador

to the Council at the time.

0:50:500:50:54

I think that countries

like Saudi Arabia being

0:50:570:51:00

on the Human Rights Council

undermines the Council.

0:51:000:51:03

And I think it makes it

a weaker institution

0:51:030:51:06

and it makes it an institution

that can be...

0:51:060:51:10

..whose veracity can be

more greatly questioned.

0:51:100:51:12

And I think that that undermines

human rights, ultimately,

0:51:120:51:15

when countries like Saudi Arabia

are on the Human Rights Council.

0:51:150:51:20

Saudi Arabia's presence

on the UN Human Rights Council

0:51:220:51:26

helped block the independent

international investigation.

0:51:260:51:30

A Yemeni government investigation

went ahead instead.

0:51:320:51:36

We did not block an independent

investigation of the UN.

0:51:360:51:39

The norm at the UN is that

such investigations are carried

0:51:390:51:42

by the competent leader authority

of the land.

0:51:420:51:46

If that authority is unable

or unwilling to conduct

0:51:460:51:50

that investigation, then the UN

may step in and provide such...

0:51:500:51:54

such an investigation.

0:51:540:51:56

SHOUTING

0:51:560:51:59

For two years, the bitter war

has raged in Yemen,

0:51:590:52:03

with the Saudi coalition

backed and armed by the British

0:52:030:52:06

and American governments.

0:52:060:52:08

In October 2016,

0:52:140:52:17

a funeral in the Yemeni capital

Sana'a was hit by a Saudi jet.

0:52:170:52:21

140 were killed, 500 injured.

0:52:230:52:26

SHOUTING

0:52:260:52:30

We have investigated those cases.

0:52:400:52:42

In some of them, we have

acknowledged responsibility

0:52:420:52:45

and we have taken measures

to address

0:52:450:52:48

the results of the incident.

0:52:480:52:51

We do not deny that there may have

been some cases in which errors

0:52:510:52:57

have been made, but those who say

otherwise are respectfully

0:52:570:53:03

requested to present their case

to us, and we'll take a look at it.

0:53:030:53:08

As the war escalated,

0:53:100:53:11

missiles were fired towards

Saudi Arabia by Houthi rebels.

0:53:110:53:15

A Saudi-led blockade

on the main ports of Yemen

0:53:180:53:21

has lead to starvation

and an outbreak of cholera.

0:53:210:53:24

After two years of wrangling,

0:53:430:53:45

the United Nations

Human Rights Council

0:53:450:53:47

has finally passed a resolution -

0:53:470:53:50

an independent investigation into

war crimes will now be undertaken.

0:53:500:53:56

But around 10,000 civilians

have already died in Yemen.

0:53:560:54:01

For decades, through years

of extraordinary global changes,

0:54:130:54:17

the House of Saud has offered

stability in a volatile region.

0:54:170:54:21

But in just a few months,

0:54:270:54:29

a 32-year-old Crown Prince

has changed all that.

0:54:290:54:32

Mohammad bin Salman has pledged

to end Islamic extremism.

0:54:340:54:38

King Salman

and Crown Prince Mohammad

0:54:460:54:48

have taken dozens and dozens

of measures

0:54:480:54:51

to crack down on terrorists,

0:54:510:54:53

on terrorists cells

and terror financing.

0:54:530:54:56

They have dismissed

thousands of imams and teachers

0:54:560:54:59

who espouse extremist views.

0:54:590:55:01

He has launched

a crackdown on corruption,

0:55:010:55:05

with hundreds detained,

including ministers, billionaires

0:55:050:55:09

and members of his own family.

0:55:090:55:11

Well, this is a monumental shift

in the way the government is

0:55:130:55:16

tackling corruption.

0:55:160:55:17

In the past, the government

has fought corruption,

0:55:170:55:19

but they were always half measures.

0:55:190:55:21

What's happening today is that

the government is sending

0:55:210:55:24

a very clear message, that

corruption will not be tolerated,

0:55:240:55:26

regardless of who's behind it.

0:55:260:55:29

He has begun a process of

economic and social reform.

0:55:290:55:32

I think there's actually

a veritable revolution

0:55:320:55:35

in Saudi Arabia right now.

0:55:350:55:36

There's a revolution in governance,

0:55:360:55:38

the social/religious context,

0:55:380:55:40

there's a revolution

in the economic sector

0:55:400:55:43

that's driving the need

for all of these others.

0:55:430:55:46

I think now there's leadership,

there's decisiveness,

0:55:460:55:49

there's determination.

0:55:490:55:51

Concrete action has been taken.

0:55:510:55:53

May it run over a few people

or hit a few potholes? Maybe,

0:55:530:55:56

but it's in the right direction.

0:55:560:55:59

The Crown Prince's reforms

have been welcomed in the West.

0:55:590:56:02

But the House of Saud

has now entered

0:56:020:56:05

a period of unprecedented

instability.

0:56:050:56:08

There is no sign that

the political sphere is opening up

0:56:090:56:13

to our new ideas.

0:56:130:56:15

In fact, what we have is

a regression into a very,

0:56:150:56:18

very repressive absolute monarchy

0:56:180:56:21

with no freedom of speech

whatsoever.

0:56:210:56:24

THEY CHANT

0:56:240:56:27

The Crown Prince,

0:56:270:56:29

he has the Armed Forces,

0:56:290:56:31

the security services,

0:56:310:56:32

the intelligence services,

the police,

0:56:320:56:35

everyone under his command.

0:56:350:56:37

It reflects a generational change

in leadership.

0:56:380:56:41

It's risky, it's unprecedented,

0:56:430:56:45

and where it will lead,

no-one can say.

0:56:450:56:48

It is aggressive, it is assertive,

0:56:530:56:56

and it is getting itself stuck into

some real conundrums in the region.

0:56:560:57:00

And all of a sudden,

we don't quite know where this goes.

0:57:000:57:04

SHOUTING

0:57:040:57:06

Saudi Arabia today

is at a crossroads.

0:57:060:57:09

Its foreign policy has

a series of disastrous ventures.

0:57:090:57:13

Its economy has flat lined,

going into recession.

0:57:130:57:18

You can see the perfect storm

forming around Saudi Arabia.

0:57:180:57:22

A 32-year-old prince now holds the

fate of the world's most powerful

0:57:230:57:28

family in his hands.

0:57:280:57:30

I think we should very much want

him, want his country to succeed.

0:57:340:57:39

If something happens

to Saudi Arabia,

0:57:390:57:42

this would be catastrophic

for the region

0:57:420:57:45

and frankly catastrophic

for the world.

0:57:450:57:47

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