Qatif rape case

From CNN: Saudi rape lawyer threatened: "Al-Lahem, who has two daughters, predicted he would have his revoked license to practice law reinstated [at a disciplinary hearing] on Wednesday and said he would represent the Saudi woman again. The hearing has the power to disbar him."

Amnesty International: Saudi Arabia: Lawyer must not be punished for defending gang rape victim

The latest! From CNN: Saudi rape lawyer hearing delayed - indefinitely.

Qatif rape case - who to write to

The UK-based Islamic Human Rights Commission has addresses for the Saudi King and Ministers and some sample letters. (Whatever you write, remember to be polite.)

Australians and New Zealanders can write to the Saudi Ambassador (details from DFAT):

His Excellency Mr Hassan Talat Nazer
PO Box 9162
Deakin ACT 2600

ETA: Here's Amnesty's action alert: Gang raped and sentenced to flogging. (Thanks catsparx!)

Brunei

The rule: if you hear the name of a country and you couldn't find it on a map, post three facts about it. (I thought Brunei was in Africa. Sigh. :-)

1. Brunei is made up of two teensy bits of Borneo, an island in Malaysia. It gained its independence from the UK in 1984. For centuries it was a naval power with an empire that included a chunk of the Philippines. It's wealthy thanks to oil and natural gas.

2. Prohibition was introduced in the 1990s. You can BYO on Royal Brunei Airlines, but they don't serve alcohol.

3. 30,000 people live in the six counties of the 'water village' - houses built on stilts over the Brunei River. (The number of ways people solve the "We haven't got enough land" problem!)