As part of the program de-radicalization program, inmates will be able to relax in the center in between sessions with counselor and talks about religion, reports AFP.The Riyadh rehab center is designed to accommodate 228 prisoners: 19 inmates in each of the facility’s 12 buildings.The facility spreads over an area equivalent to around 10 football pitches (over 10 hectares) and includes an Olympic-size swimming pool, a sauna, a gym and a television hall. The prisoners will also have access to special suites where they can spend time with visiting family members. Besides that, as a bonus for good behavior, they could get a two-day break with their wives.The center was created by the Prince Mohammed bin Nayef Center for Counseling and Care – established seven years ago to rehabilitate extremists imprisoned during a Saudi crackdown on the local branch of Al-Qaeda. The prince himself survived a suicide bomb attack in 2009, which was claimed by Al-Qaeda.“Just under 3,000 [prisoners] will have to go through one of these centers before they can be released,” Interior Ministry spokesperson General Mansur al-Turki told the agency.Another similar facility has already been opened in the western port city of Jeddah, while three more are planned for different parts of the kingdom.The Riyadh center though is the first one to offer jailed Al-Qaeda members – or the “deviant group,” as they are referred to by the country’s authorities – a lap of luxury as a boost to reconsider their beliefs.It is planned that during the day prisoners will attend seminars on religious affairs.“In order to fight terrorism, we must give them an intellectual and psychological balance… through dialogue and persuasion,” said the director of the rehabilitation centers, Said al-Bishi.So far, some 2,336 Al-Qaeda prisoners have been through Saudi rehabilitation schemes, he said. No more than 10 per cent of former inmates rejoin extremist groups, Bishi noted, adding that such proportion is “encouraging.”However, the program does have its opponents, especially given that some there have been some high-profile returns to the ranks of jihad. For instance, Saeed al-Shehri – a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who went through a rehabilitation program in Saudi Arabia – upon his release traveled to Yemen and became deputy leader of Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula.Liberals are particularly unhappy with the religious content of the program, saying that it draws on an ultra-conservative version of Islam – which not so different from Al-Qaeda’s own. … Read More
Swap jihad for lush rehab: Saudi Arabia opens relaxation center for jailed Al-Qaeda extremists (PHOTOS)
As part of the program de-radicalization program, inmates will be able to relax in the center in between sessions with counselor and talks about religion, reports AFP.The Riyadh rehab center is designed to accommodate 228 prisoners: 19 inmates in each of the facility’s 12 buildings.The facility spreads over an area equivalent to around 10 football pitches (over 10 hectares) and includes an Olympic-size swimming pool, a sauna, a gym and a television hall. The prisoners will also have access to special suites where they can spend time with visiting family members. Besides that, as a bonus for good behavior, they could get a two-day break with their wives.The center was created by the Prince Mohammed bin Nayef Center for Counseling and Care – established seven years ago to rehabilitate extremists imprisoned during a Saudi crackdown on the local branch of Al-Qaeda. The prince himself survived a suicide bomb attack in 2009, which was claimed by Al-Qaeda.“Just under 3,000 [prisoners] will have to go through one of these centers before they can be released,” Interior Ministry spokesperson General Mansur al-Turki told the agency.Another similar facility has already been opened in the western port city of Jeddah, while three more are planned for different parts of the kingdom.The Riyadh center though is the first one to offer jailed Al-Qaeda members – or the “deviant group,” as they are referred to by the country’s authorities – a lap of luxury as a boost to reconsider their beliefs.It is planned that during the day prisoners will attend seminars on religious affairs.“In order to fight terrorism, we must give them an intellectual and psychological balance… through dialogue and persuasion,” said the director of the rehabilitation centers, Said al-Bishi.So far, some 2,336 Al-Qaeda prisoners have been through Saudi rehabilitation schemes, he said. No more than 10 per cent of former inmates rejoin extremist groups, Bishi noted, adding that such proportion is “encouraging.”However, the program does have its opponents, especially given that some there have been some high-profile returns to the ranks of jihad. For instance, Saeed al-Shehri – a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner who went through a rehabilitation program in Saudi Arabia – upon his release traveled to Yemen and became deputy leader of Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula.Liberals are particularly unhappy with the religious content of the program, saying that it draws on an ultra-conservative version of Islam – which not so different from Al-Qaeda’s own. … Read More
Royal Bank of Scotland VP arrested in Moscow on $10mn fraud charge
“Glukhovtsev has been charged with fraud,” The Russian Interior Ministry’s Department for the Central Federal District told Interfax.The investigators claim as soon as money was transferred to accounts of Montenegrin companies controlled by Glukhovtsev he then took the money, and provided clients with fake reports saying they owned business or property abroad. Investors did not receive promised dividends and the assets they supposedly owned did not exist or were registered for a third party, according to the Interior Ministry.Glukhovtsev allegedly provided his investors with fake business reports which led them to believe they owned business or property abroad. Investigators say they have evidence Glukhovtsev spent the investment dollars on real estate, luxury sports cars, art and jewelry.”According to the preliminary information alone, investigators suspect V. Glukhovtsev has received over 300 million roubles from private citizens and companies to purchase property and invest in construction in Montenegro,” Interfax reported.Interfax first reported RBS, one of the world’s top five banks, as Glukhovtsev’s employer, and said the fraud charges are “in no way” connected to the bank’s operations.Currently five people in Moscow have been identified as victims of the fraud scheme, and likely more will surface as the investigation unfolds. Russian news source tvc.ru has identified one of the victims as Sergey Kardashev, the president of ABN AMRO Bank. Kardashev lost earnings on his intellectual property, an Interior Ministry employee said.“I spoke to him, reassigned patents to the project. I received and initial payment, and then, somewhere around two years ago, these royalties stopped coming. When I found out about it, it turned out that he was going to renew the patents in his name. The process was already under way and due to law enforcement, it was suspended, and to date I have not lost the patents at all,” Kardashev told tvc.ru.Glukhovtsev’s activities may not be limited to Russia and Montenegro. Police have reported he also has a Ukrainian passport in his name.“It’s possible he committed illegal acts in this country,” said a Ukrainian police source.Glukhovtsev is a jack of many trades- banker, investor, hotel magnate with property on the Adriatic coast, a casino owner, and even a writer. … Read More
Give up luxury cars, Archbishop Tutu tells South Africa government ministers
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South Africa’s veteran Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called on government ministers to give up their luxury vehicles to prove they are serious about narrowing the gap between rich and poor.
The 81-year-old said those in government should renounce their “opulent, ostentatious cars” to symbolise sharing the nation’s wealth. “People go to bed hungry in this land,“ he added.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark his winning the Templeton Prize for promoting forgiveness and justice, he said the country had “the horrendous distinction of being the world’s most unequal society”.
Tutu is due to be awarded the prize in London next month.
More about: Desmond Tutu, Religion, South Africa
Copyright © 2013 euronews
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