Founding member of expatriate Saudi opposition group killed in Lebanon

An expatriate Saudi opposition group has blamed the Saudi government for the murder in Beirut of founding member Manea al-Yami who was allegedly stabbed by his two brothers during a family dispute.

Lebanon’s internal security forces said a 42-year-old Saudi citizen had been stabbed to death by his brothers on Saturday, without publishing the victim’s name. It said that security forces had arrested the two brothers on Sunday and that they had confessed to the killing. A Lebanese security source confirmed to Reuters that the victim of the stabbing was Mr Yami.

The London-based National Assembly Party said, “Upon the news of the assassination, the party has been trying to verify its details and its motives. The party also holds the Saudi authorities responsible for exposing the people of this country to danger, forcing them to live in exile, and reside in unsafe environments because of their political beliefs or their demands for human rights.”

Saudi ambassador to Lebanon Waleed Bukhari tweeted his appreciation of Lebanese efforts “in uncovering the facts and bringing the perpetrators to justice”.

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Mr Yami belonged to the restive Saudi Ismaili Shia minority which, according to Human Rights Watch, suffers from “official discrimination” from the Sunni state. He had lived in Lebanon since 2015 and sought asylum in a third country senior party official Yahya Assiri revealed.

Established in 2020, the party is critical of the kingdom’s ruling family and campaigns for democracy, human rights, an elected parliament and an independent judiciary. Mr Assiri told the Associated Press Mr Yami was a core member of the group who did not operate in the open but was “generally worried” about being harmed without specifying by whom.

The killing comes as US president Joe Biden is set to travel to Saudi Arabia to attend the Gulf summit where he is expected to repair relations with crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The crown prince stands accused of ordering the 2018 assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.

‘Potential target’

At the time of the party’s establishment, Montreal-based social media activist Omar Abdulaziz stated, “we believe that being in this party may pose a danger to us, but I know many have lost their freedom and lives while trying” to effect change. Mr Abdulaziz, who was a close friend of Khashoggi, was warned by the Canadian authorities that he was a “potential target”.

Mr Yami’s killing took place in south Beirut, the stronghold of Lebanon’s Shia Hizbullah movement. in January, Hizbullah invited Saudi dissidents, including Mr Yami, to a conference on the anniversary of Riyadh’s 2016 execution of 47 Saudi opponents, including charismatic Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have criticised Beirut for permitting Hizbullah to hold such gatherings which have soured Lebanon’s relations with the kingdom and Gulf states.

The Saudi government has not remarked on the case and the Beirut embassy has not replied to a request for comment from The Irish Times. — Additional reporting: Reuters