Saudi Prince awarded libel damage against British daily
Saudi Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdulaziz won his legal case against the independent news paper after they published a fake order—apparently issued by Prince Nayef—to the police to fire on demonstrators.
The British newspaper and the author of the article, Middle East correspondent Mr. Robert Fisk, issued an unreserved apology to Prince Nayef at the royal court of justice and accepted that there is no truth in this fake order.
As an indication of the sincerity of the apology they have agreed to pay him substantial damages, which will be passed to a charity and will pay his legal costs.
Rupert Earle, partner in the law Bates well and Braithwaite in London, who represented Prince Nayef said: “They are going to publish the apology and they are going to put it on the website for a month and they have agreed not to repeat the allegations, I know Mr. Fisk is a reputable and experienced journalist and I think he will take more care in the future reporting on Saudi Arabia.”
“The case illustrates even the most reputable journalist can make mistakes and it is important when they do so they are ready to acknowledge that and put matters right as soon as possible. You should not believe everything you read on the internet about Saudi Arabia, without caution, harm and unrest and instability may unnecessary be caused,” Mr Earl added.
This article was published on April 15 featuring the Arab awakening where Mr. Fisk, the Middle East correspondent, gave his account of the genesis and progress of what he has described as the Arab spring. In doing so he stated: “police chiefs, however personally devout, will do as they are told even when orders involve mass murder. Take for example the Saudis, the independent is in possession of an extraordinary and outrages order from Prince Nayef Bin Abdelaziz, the Saudi interior minister issued and order on 11th of March prior to the much feared ‘Hunayn revolution’ named after the battle fought by the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh).”
He went on to say: "This outrageous order which mercifully did not have to be obeyed was well known to the Americans who have so bitterly condemned the Assad regime’s brutality in Syria but who in this case of course uttered not a bleat. Shiites it seems are targetable in these revolutions. Prince Nayef’s instruction is worthy of investigation by the international criminal court at The Hague, he orders his police chiefs to shoot down protesters.”
In early 2011 various, primarily Shiite activists in Saudi Arabia sought to organize a demonstration on 11th of March, describing it as the ‘Hunayn Revolution.’ The demonstration was not widely attended, with both the Saudi government and religious authorities calling on people to settle their grievances by dialogue.
Not long thereafter several websites featured an order allegedly issued by Prince Nayef prior to 11th of March demonstration. The order was alleged to have been addressed to police chiefs in each of the provinces of Saudi Arabia and stated that demonstration in the ‘Hunayn Revolution’ should be shown no mercy, should be struck with iron fists and that it was permitted for all officers and personnel to use live rounds. The alleged order ended with prince Nayef wishing the police luck in discharging this task.
In fact the so-called order was a fake, it bore the wrong interior ministry logo from style signature.
Prince Nayef’s lawyer Mr. Earle said: "There was no such order and Prince Nayef would never issue such order." He added: “The article gave rise to a number of rumors on the internet, and allegations like that are clearly very serious and have the facility to cause great damage to prince Nayef’s reputation as an interior minister for four decades and to the stability of Saudi Arabia as whole.”
Mr. Earle preciously represented Prince Turki Al Faisal in 2004 where he won a libel case against the magazine Paris Match and accepted substantial libel damages and an apology over claims he was linked to the September 11attack.