The three Saudi Arabian democracy activists held in prison the past year for leading calls for a constitutional monarchy were sent back to jail today as their closed court trial was suspended for another three weeks so that prosecuting attorneys could gain more evidence against the defendants. The three were to be tried in August of last year, the date was pushed back to December when 9 journalists and family members were arrested for attempting to attend the trial. The trial was then postponed until February and then again pushed back to this weekend (Saturday, March 12th): Reformists Ali al-Demaini, Abdullah al-Hamed and Matruk al-Faleh are also accused of "using Western terminology" in demanding political reforms. They also allegedly questioned the king's role as head of the judiciary. Only two members of the seven-strong defense team continue to attend hearings as four were dismissed by the judge and another was arrested. The crackdown on constitutional reformists has cast doubt on the government's attempts to introduce limited reforms, claimed to fit Saudi specifications rather than following a Western pattern.
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