It is important that people living in Maine not lose sight of the human rights abuses that occur in the Middle East, and particularly in Saudi Arabia.

My name is Kader Said and I am writing as a member of the Somali community in Lewiston, as a member of the Many and One Coalition and as the former president of the African Immigrants Association and hope to raise awareness of what’s happening.

One of the most recent cases of these horrible human rights abuses occurred in Saudi Arabia on April 1. Six young men from Somalia were brutally executed by public beheading as punishment for the crime of theft.

In 1999, these men were convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. By May of last year, their punishment had apparently been changed to death sentences through a secret procedure. These men were not even told that they were at risk of death. Neither they nor their families were made aware of charges against them or of the progress of the legal proceedings. Cases of this kind in Saudi Arabia often see defendants convicted solely on the evidence of a confession that was obtained by duress, torture or deception. Trials take place behind closed doors. Defendants have no access to legal representation.

This is a legal system full of secrecy, torture and other human rights abuses. It tramples on the rights of minorities in Saudi Arabia, especially foreign nationals, who are regularly denied access to consular assistance and who account for almost two-thirds of all executions in the country.

The United States has many close ties to the government of Saudi Arabia, yet we rarely hear U.S. authorities speaking out against the repressive acts of the Saudi legal system.

We are told repeatedly that we went to war in Iraq because it was a country whose government was torturing, killing and repressing its people.

We’re told that as a country, we had a responsibility to stand up for human rights against brutal dictatorships.

Yet, the Saudi government is considered one of our allies, and there’s little outrage about the brutality occurring there.

I am appalled at the abuses in Saudi Arabia, and I believe that the United States must take strong action to condemn these abuses and work to stop them from occurring. If the United States takes a strong, serious lead in the effort to stop these horrible crimes against humanity, the rest of the world will pay attention too.

The Lewiston-Auburn community should speak out against this trampling of human rights and dignity. Action begins here.

I am one of nearly 2,000 Somali people in the Lewiston-Auburn area. I hope that these people will communicate with each other and to their neighbors about these issues.

Somali nationals are major targets of the abuses in Saudi Arabia, and we must support them. Silence only makes bolder those who oppress others.

We are very fortunate to live in a free and open country where we can stand up for that which we believe in. The people in Saudi Arabia and other countries with repressive regimes cannot make such a stand. It is our obligation to do what we can to stop our fellow human beings from being tortured, killed and oppressed. I hope that everyone in my community will share my outrage, will learn more about these global issues and will do what they can to make this world a better, safer, more just place for all.

Kader Said lives in Lewiston