"FREEDOM" FOR EDDIE HOWE - BUT WHAT ABOUT SAUDI PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE?

Written by John Hird

Eddie Howe is set to be officially granted the Freedom of Newcastle at the end of May.

Councillors will vote on the motion put forward by Newcastle City Council leader Karen Kilgour, in the immediate aftermath of Newcastle United’s historic victory in the Carabao Cup final.

In the past Eddie Howe was asked in press conferences about the Saudi regime which owns Newcastle United. In March 2022 SkyNews reported "the 44-year-old revealed he is reading up about the situation in order to become better acquainted with the details."

Unfortunately Eddie seemingly still doesn’t have enough knowledge and has refused to say anything about the many victims of his employers, despite being specifically asked to. 

Ahmad al-Rabea, the brother of Hassan, who was deported from Morocco to Saudi Arabia, directly appealed to the Newcastle manager and players for support. Ahmad told Eddie Howe his brother was facing torture, unfair trial and maybe even the death penalty in the country that owns the club that he manager works for.

Ahmad ended his letter by saying: “You can make a difference, Mr Howe. Newcastle United’s players and fans can, too. We know you don't support the atrocities carried out by the owners of the club. But if you spoke up for the young people on death row, and for my brother, you would be heard by the Saudi regime. It may be comforting to tell yourself there is nothing you can do, but it is not true.”

On February 18th, after over three years of Saudi state ownership of NUFC, Karen Kilgour met a delegation of Saudi human rights advocates but refused to have her picture taken with them. The delegation included the sister of the young Saudi woman Manahel al-Otaibi, who is serving 11 years in prison simply for tweeting in favour of women’s rights.

The Saudi human rights delegation asked Karen Kilgour and Newcastle City Council to “adopt” prisoners such as Manahel al-Otaibi and Mohammad al-Rabiah, and Saudi minors sentenced to death for ‘crimes’ committed when they were children, a practice which is illegal under international law. They also urged the council to publicise these cases and raise them with the Chairman of NUFC, Yasir al-Rumayyan, who held the Carabao Cup aloft at Wembley, as he is a minister in the Saudi government which is committing such horrendous human rights abuses.

Unfortunately Karen Kilgour and Newcastle City Council have so far taken no action on the suggestions to support Saudi prisoners of conscience put to them by the Saudi human rights delegation.  We can only conclude that the meeting was nothing but a tick box exercise and the council leader has no intention of publicly showing solidarity with Saudis who have had their freedom taken away by the ultimate owners of Newcastle United.

Meanwhile the council leader and other councillors have enjoyed the largesse of the Saudi state owned football club, including free tickets to the Carabao Cup final and victory parade. Hopefully, these freebies are not the reason for the council’s silence on human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.

When Eddie Howe receives his 'Freedom' of Newcastle it will be an ideal opportunity for him and Karen Kilgour to remember and mention those Saudi prisoners like Manahel al-Otaibi, who have had their freedom taken away by the regime which owns Newcastle United Football Club.

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